Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News
by Magpie Corvidae
Summary: Set during Mass Effect 2. In an attempt to make Khalisah likable we delve into her dark past and discover why she is the way she is. Set predominantly on the Presidium, Khalisah tackles Citadel politics, armed mercenaries, angry interviewees and kisses the occasional asari. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News

Chapter One

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News," the introduction was spoken like a threat as an ID card was tossed down on the reception desk of the asari embassy. Behind the desk, Tiana T'Lark looked up and felt her mouth fall open, just a little.

The human woman stood tall in a long, dark dress that pressed neatly against a high waist and a slender pair of hips where a jewelled hand rested elegantly. Her beautifully toned, light brown arms were specked with a few darker freckles up to her shoulders, where locks of dark hair were coiled. Her face was as defined as her figure with a neat, slender jawline, full, dark lips and a long, sharp nose. But it was her eyes that really drew the attention, bright green and piecing as they shone out from her dark skin like glittering emeralds beneath two, beautifully defined, what did they call them? Eyebrows? Both of which were arched expectantly for a response.

Still with her mouth half open, Tiana felt all words escape her.

The eyebrows arched further, "I have a scheduled meeting with Councillor Tevos."

"I- yes!" she managed to stammer, "Of course! We've been expecting you," she dragged her eyes away from the dazzling stare and down to her desk where she fumbled with the ID card as she checked it against her console, "that all seems to be in order, go on through," she said, thrusting the card back at her too sharply and smiling far too broadly.

Khalisah blinked at her for a second, a soft, beautiful frown creasing her forehead, "Thank you," she said slowly, took the card and headed into the embassy offices, her thick locks of hair bouncing gently with the sway of her walk. Tiana had never touched human hair, but right now she could imagine it felt like silk.

"Well, that was smoothly done."

She looked up to see Jacana, a freelance journalist who often hung around the embassies to find her stories. She was leaning casually against a cabinet, flicking through a datapad and pretending not to listen in on two diplomats talking nearby. The older asari wasn't looking at her but a wry smile had spread onto her lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tiana told her, aiming to sound casual and ending up with indignant.

"No? You're like that with everyone who walks in here are you? You've never seemed the type to get starstruck, Tiana, particularly not over a human news reporter."

"I'm not starstruck! I'd never even heard of her before today!" she insisted, then instantly regretted it as the smile spread further and Jacana chuckled.

"Ah, I see."

Tiana glared irritably at her tone, all-knowing and arrogant as usual, "What are you even doing here?"

"Listening," she replied casually, a brief twinkle in her eye. Tiana looked towards the two diplomats she appeared to be pretending not to take notes on and realised the whole thing was probably an act. One was Petra, an asari who had been at the embassy for three decades or more. She was an underachiever, still too young to be taken seriously by most. The other was an elcor who was busy droning his way through some mundane complaint in such minute detail that poor Petra looked about ready to fall asleep. She was sure neither of them had anything to say that could interest Jacana or her readers.

"Tell me," Jacana began casually, "what is it about these human women that gets you maidens so excited? I remember when there were similar feelings about the quarians, before they had to hide themselves away under those suits. Is it the hair?"

"Quarians have hair?" the question prompted an amused look from the journalist, which infuriated Tiana even more as she huffed and stated: "I still don't know what you're talking about. It's not like I go around eyeing up every human woman I pass in the street."

"Just the tall, glamourous ones then?"

Tiana opened her mouth, failed to come up with a response, and glared irritably, "Shut up, Jacana."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Councillor Tevos was standing with her back to the door when Khalisah entered, her hands clasped neatly behind her back as she gazed out calmly across the Presidium.

"Miss al-Jilani," she greeted without looking round, there was a chair but Khalisah was not asked to sit, "before we begin you should know, I have security measures in place in this room, no recording or listening devices will function in here so if you happen to have any on you, they will be of little use," Khalisah said nothing. As it happened she already _did_ know that and had therefore not brought any such devices. The fact that Tevos felt the need to inform her was not only irritating but frankly, patronising. Typical asari.

"If you quote me on anything I say during this meeting," she continued, "I will deny it and you will be made to look a liar and a fool," she turned sharply to stare at her through steel grey eyes, "is that clear?"

Tevos probably expected her to flinch, but Khalisah wasn't prepared to indulge her. Instead she arched one of her styled eyebrows and placed a hand delicately on her hip, "Why so concerned Councillor? I understood this to be an informal meeting, all I need is clarification on one or two facts before I publish them to the galaxy. I would hate to appear misinformed."

Tevos considered her quietly for a moment, all hint of any threat had gone from her eyes to be replaced with an air of reason and rationale that Khalisah found wholly unconvincing. There was no reason to be fooled by the level-headed peacekeeper image, she was dealing with a lioness.

"Very well," Tevos decided swiftly, "I have nothing to hide."

 _Everyone has something to hide_ , Khalisah thought quietly, in the case of politicians it was often something with potentially galaxy-shattering consequences.

Tevos sat and indicated to the chair Khalisah had previously not been offered. She took great care with how she sat, making sure her dress remained smooth and un-creased as she crossed one leg neatly over the other. She placed one hand in her lap while the other rested casually on the arm of the chair. She made sure she was slightly side-on to the councillor so that she could turn away and briefly hide her face beneath her hair if necessary.

The steel in Tevos's eyes had turned to silk and her whole expression softened as she spoke as though with complete sympathy, "You wish to discuss the recent attacks on human colonies?"

Khalisah kept her expression neutral, "I understand the Council has declined to offer aid in the matter?"

"The matter is a human one," Tevos replied without hesitation, "it would be entirely inappropriate for us to interfere. As much as we regret the losses of your people, there is nothing the Council can do," as calm as Tevos's voice remained, Khalisah noted a distinct _lack_ of regret in it.

"Do you know how many colonists are missing, Councillor?" Tevos didn't answer, "Nine-hundred-and-eighty-four-thousand-six-hundred-and-fifty-two," she had memorised the number especially but as she looked into those silky eyes she saw nothing. No emotion. No recognition. A VI would have shown more empathy she realised and just barely managed to avoid clenching her fists.

"I am unsure why you came to me with this," Tevos said after a moment, "surely Councillor Udina has more to say on the matter."

 _Councillor Udina cares less about the colonists than you do_ , Khalisah thought grimly. At least Tevos would have been jumping to protect the colonies if it were asari lives at stake, Udina cared about nothing more than his own political standing.

But still, she smiled pleasantly in response, "I find it best to use as many sources as possible when trying to clarify my facts."

"I see. And is there anything else you need clarifying?"

"Just one thing," she paused, making sure to lean forward ever-so-slightly, "is it true that you have reinstated Commander Shepard's spectre status?"

Tevos blinked, it was the first flicker Khalisah had seen from her, the first, small victory.

"It is."

"So, Commander Shepard is now operating on the behalf of the Council?"

Another flicker, a second victory. It wasn't widely known that Shepard was working with Cerberus, Khalisah hadn't even managed to confirm it, but there was enough of a rumour going around to make the Council look incredibly bad if it came out, at least if it was worded right.

"Spectres work independently," Tevos remained carefully vague and Khalisah jumped on it.

"So her investigations into these attacks weren't ordered by you?"

Tevos waited for a while and Khalisah could tell she was picking her words, "What makes you think Commander Shepard is investigating at all?"

"She did an interview with me last week."

Another pause, "Indeed."

Outwardly Tevos remained unconcerned, but Khalisah saw the steel creep back into her eyes. Her defences were going up, a sure sign Khalisah was winning.

"So, Shepard is pursuing this of her own accord but as a spectre she does so in your name with your resources, is that correct?"

"Spectres are an independent arm of the Council," vague again.

"But they _do_ have access to Council resources?" she pressed.

"They do."

"Excellent," Khalisah smiled as she stood, abruptly enough to take Tevos by surprise, even if she didn't show it, "that was all the clarification I needed, thank you for your time, Councillor."

Without giving Tevos time to respond she swiftly opened the door and left, disguising her triumphant smile even as she marched back down the corridor. She hadn't really learned anything she didn't already know, and she didn't have the Councillor's own words recorded but then she hadn't really wanted either. All she had wanted was to look the most powerful woman in the galaxy in the eye and see whose hands all their lives were in. And now she knew Tevos could flinch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Khalisah passed back through the reception area without breaking stride, completely oblivious to Tiana's nervous attempts to look casual as she marched past the desk without so much as glancing at her. She picked up her pace even more as she made for the exit, brisk, confidant strides that drew stares and let everyone know she was not to be trifled with.

At least until Jacana pounced.

"Miss al-Jilani!" the asari leapt out from behind the cabinet she had previously been leaning on, so close in front of Khalisah that the human had to cut one stride short to avoid walking into her. Her feet stopped more abruptly than the rest of her and she narrowly averted toppling over as she stumbled briefly to get her footing. She recovered quite elegantly, without having to grab hold of Jacana to steady herself, which was what usually happened when she had used this tactic in the past. Still, Jacana noticed a brief flicker of irritation cross her brow as she composed herself. This was not a woman who liked being caught off balance. That was worth remembering.

"Can I help you?" she asked, neither friendly nor impatient, emerald eyes glittering as she swept a shimmering lock of hair from her forehead. Oh but Tiana was right, she _was_ beautiful.

"Jacana Aragem, freelance journalist," she held out a hand abruptly, aiming to look enthusiastic without appearing foolish and pulling it off perfectly. Khalisah eyed the hand briefly, Jacana's pounce tactic had left them standing close enough together that Khalisah had to take a step back to complete the handshake with any sort of ease.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani-

"Westerlund News," Jacana finished her catchphrase for her and saw the irritation flash by once more.

"You know me?"

"I saw your interview with Commander Shepard last week."

Khalisah's face remained very deliberately unreadable, though her tone gave something away as she simply replied with: "Ah."

"Very clever, the way you made her look good in the eyes of the viewers," she continued quickly and saw a soft frown crease the skin between her two, neat eyebrows, "humanity needs a hero right now, something to give them strength in the wake of these colony attacks. And you gave them Shepard."

There was a pause as those piecing green eyes narrowed and searched Jacana's face intently. _She's trying to read me._ And hopefully, she was failing.

"All credit must go to Shepard for that interview," she said after a moment, not without a trace of bitterness, "she's… excellent on camera."

 _I know that,_ Jacana thought, the fact that Khalisah was willing to admit it was… interesting. She had intended to charm the news reporter with false praise for her skills but this clearly wasn't a woman easily charmed. Also worth remembering.

"What's your interest in these attacks?" Khalisah's tone was suspicious, naturally, but curious too. Jacana had her way in.

"Hundreds of thousands of innocent people are missing, Miss al-Jilani, anyone should be interested."

Khalisah relaxed, visibly, as a trace of weariness passed through her eyes, "Your views are depressingly unique, Miss Aragem. Few on the Citadel know or care what happens to humans in the Terminus Systems. It is a world so far removed from their own they barely stop to think about it."

Jacana felt an unexpected pang of regret, in truth she had barely stopped to think about it too. But that's not what she was here for, "We share this galaxy, it is our collective responsibility to look out for each other," she said sincerely, "I care for the welfare of these colonists as much as you would if it were asari being taken," she saw a flicker in those eyes and knew fine well that Khalisah wouldn't give a damn for asari victims, but at least she had the decency to feel bad about it.

"Your councillor doesn't share your enthusiasm for my race."

" _My_ councillor?" Jacana laughed at that, genuinely, "Darling, Tevos doesn't represent me any more than Councillor Udina represents you. Politicians may know plenty about politics but they know nothing about real-life people. Having them speak on our behalf is just embarrassing, isn't it?" she almost got a smile, almost. And even if Khalisah's mouth didn't betray her, her eyes sparkled an even brighter green and Jacana took her chance, "It's journalists who uncover the truth of these things," she placed a hand on Khalisah's arm and leaned in with a cunning smile, like they were two maidens sharing a secret, "journalists like us. While the councillors debate and cover-up and talk themselves in circles, we can find out what's really going on and force them to act."

Still sparkling, the eyes narrowed slightly. Khalisah would have to be incredibly gullible not to be suspicious, and incredibly stupid not to take the chance anyway. And Jacana knew she was neither of these things.

"Why come to me?"

"I don't have the contacts or the resources to investigate alone," she lied, "when I saw that interview with Commander Shepard, I had planned to schedule a meeting with you but then I saw you here and, well, call it a happy coincidence," she smiled and hoped it was convincing enough, Khalisah said nothing, "why don't we discuss this over coffee? I know a spot on the Presidium where we can talk in more detail."

Khalisah hesitated, of course. But from her expression it was clear she didn't so much consider Jacana as a potential threat, just a potential waste of her time. Eventually she gave a small, curt nod.

"Lead the way."

From behind her desk, Tiana watched in amazement as Jacana smiled charmingly and led the human from the embassy, not without pausing to wink at Tiana before she left. Frowning incredulously, the receptionist shook her head and went back to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Khalisah eyed the asari over the rim of her cup and sipped the hot coffee delicately. The Presidium buzzed with the voices of a dozen species as they passed by the little café Jacana had led her to. Some walked in groups, passing swiftly as they talked hurriedly over one other, gabbling in corporate speak as they scheduled meetings or conducted deals. Others were simply meandering through, there to enjoy the scenery. Couples chatted and laughed and children ran through the legs of the crowd, the more fortunate ones eager to escape their parents' watchful eyes and the less fortunate ones ready to pick the pockets of anyone unsuspecting enough.

Jacana was smiling cheerfully to herself as she stirred sugar into her own cup and pretended she didn't know she was being closely scrutinised.

She was pretty, in an asari kind of way, though probably quite plain next to others of her race. Asari skin tones ranged from vivid blue to deep purple, Jacana's settled at a light turquoise which complimented pale eyes of mint green. Like many asari she carried natural markings on her cheeks and her forehead which were soft lilac and looked not unlike rose petals.

While most asari favoured figure hugging dresses, often cut to reveal as much skin as they could legally get away with, Jacana was dressed in neat, black leathers, from her heeled boots to her designer jacket, which was worn casually over a plain white top.

It was always hard to judge asari ages, not just because they could live for over a thousand years. They didn't age in a way that was recognisable to other races, matriarchs seemed no less sprightly or energetic than maidens, quite the opposite in fact. Their skin didn't darken or wrinkle, their looks didn't fade. It was in the eyes that you really saw it, and the way they carried themselves. Maiden asari had an enthusiasm, a spark born from ignorance and irresponsibility and the idea that the galaxy was a playground built purely for their amusement. By the time they entered the latter stages of their lives they became stately, elusive figures, secretly carrying the knowledge of centuries that they felt no need to share with those they deemed too young to understand.

Looking at Jacana, however, she saw neither quality. She was no young maiden, that was for sure. Yet she didn't have the demeanour of someone who had lived long enough to lose all sense of purpose. Something that _was_ certain however, she must have been born long before humanity had even conceived of space travel, something Khalisah never failed to find somewhat unsettling when speaking to the ageless beauties.

"So, Miss Aragem-

"Jacana," she corrected cheerfully before Khalisah could continue, "people only call me 'Miss Aragem' when they're attempting to talk down to me."

"Do people talk down to you a lot?"

She smiled and shrugged, "I'm a journalist. I ask questions they don't want to answer," something twinkled mischievously in her eyes as she blew gently on her coffee, "which of your lengthy names should I address you by?"

She paused briefly as she considered, "Khalisah, will do," she decided, she too hated being called 'Miss'.

"Pretty," Jacana mused before setting her cup aside and leaning forward on the table, "I suppose you want to know what information I have."

Khalisah inclined her head a little, "I was assuming you hadn't come to me empty handed."

"Never fear," a smile twitched on her lips and she pulled a datapad from inside her jacket and placed it on the table. As Khalisah picked it up she saw lengthy reports, scanner data and a recording of Commander Shepard and a group of quarians.

"What is this?" she asked curiously.

"Freedom's Progress," Jacana explained, "the last colony to be hit. Shepard was first on the scene with Cerberus, this is a record of everything they found."

"So she _is_ working for Cerberus?" Khalisah narrowed her eyes sharply, "And you have access to their files?" Jacana's smile wrinkled her nose and she shrugged innocently, "How?"

"Contacts," she remained cheerfully vague and Khalisah knew there was no point in delving further, "Tevos knows about Cerberus too," Jacana continued, "even though she didn't admit it, she knew what you were angling at."

Khalisah looked up very slowly to see the asari still smiling at her, her gaze unflinching, "You were listening."

"Mm," she mused with a nod, "looks that way."

"But how? She has security measures in that office."

"Ah, yes, her famous security measures," Jacana chuckled softly and Khalisah felt her eyes narrow, she was starting to get the feeling that she was dealing with more than just a freelance journalist.

"What did Shepard find?"

"Empty buildings and a quarian on pilgrimage who survived the attack, there may have been more, this is all I've found so far."

 _Or it's all you're willing to tell me,_ Khalisah mused, you got used to playing these kind of games when you dealt in Citadel politics, maybe this asari was just being careful, or maybe she was up to something else. Either way, the information was too good to pass up.

"What are you hoping to get out of this, Jacana?" she asked, setting her coffee aside and feigning interest in the datapad as an excuse to lean forward and talk more quietly.

"Why, the truth, Khalisah," she smiled and flashed a set of perfect, milk-white teeth, "and joint credit for the story."

 _Naturally,_ "Is that all?"

She frowned and sighed, as though slightly saddened by Khalisah's suspicion, "I became a journalist to make a difference," she said genuinely, "to change things for the better. The same is true of you, I can tell. Whatever these attacks are, I'm sure they have implications for the rest of the galaxy. They need to be stopped."

Khalisah searched her peppermint coloured eyes for some trace of truth or trickery, but found nothing to help her in either case. Someone who could bug the asari councillor's office could be dangerous, and useful.

"Alright," she decided, taking a card from her top pocket and tossing it casually over to her, "meet me there first thing tomorrow."

Jacana took the card and frowned as Khalisah stood, "What will we be doing?"

"Turn up and you'll find out."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

" _Operative Menthe, your status update is due_."

Jacana glanced up from the sofa where she was lounging with a datapad and a glass of wine. It was late evening by now and outside the windows of her dingy apartment in the wards, she could hear the brash laughter of the drunks roaming the bars and the shouts of the krogan bouncers trying to keep them in line.

She swiftly downed her last mouthful, stood and walked across the room to where the comms switch was flashing expectantly. She activated the controls and spoke:

"I'm here, Shadow Broker."

" _Have you made contact?"_ the distorted voice asked, disguising any hint of species, gender or age.

"I think I've peaked her interest," Jacana folded her arms and scrutinised the comms unit carefully, not that the Shadow Broker could see her, "are you going to tell me what all this is about now?"

There was a pause, through which she could almost hear a smile. She had never met the Shadow Broker, nor did she know anyone who had, but she had been one of his operatives for well over a century. Such a lengthy time in power suggested that the Broker was either a krogan, an asari or more than one person. It didn't much matter to Jacana either way, what she did know was that after her decades of service, she had earned the right to a little more backchat than most of his operatives.

" _Miss al-Jilani's work into the colony attacks is of no interest to me_ ," the Broker replied.

"Shame, I'd put together quite a good investigation."

" _Good._ _You'll need it to stay convincing. Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani was born and raised primarily on Earth, but when she was twelve she and her family moved to_ _Bekenstein_ , _do you know of it?"_

"Humanity's answer to Illium," Jacana nodded. Right next door to the Citadel, the planet was home to some of the most notorious human businessmen in the galaxy, revelling in wealth and luxury as they increased the ever growing divide between them and the lower classes.

" _Khalisah's father was a businessman on Earth and he quickly became one of the most influential men on_ _Bekenstein_ _."_

"Really?" Jacana frowned, "If Khalisah was born into the upper echelons of the Bekenstein hierarchy, why the hell is she working as a small time reporter for a barely average news channel?"

" _Good question,"_ the Broker replied, and Jacana knew she was expected to find the answer.

"There's more to this, isn't there?"

" _In her youth, Khalisah was married to another businessman, Donovan Hock. She walked out on the marriage and left the colony several years ago but still remains legally his wife."_

"She's married?"

" _Widowed. Hock was recently killed under… interesting circumstances. But that's of no concern, what interests me is the inheritance. Hock was a very wealthy man."_

"It must all go to Khalisah now, surely?"

" _Nothing so simple. Hock left a condition in his will, his accounts are encrypted and only the person who can produce the encryption key will inherit the money."_

"And you think that person is Khalisah?"

" _She has shown no interest in claiming the fortune, but her father is convinced she knows the key."_

Jacana paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Why are you so concerned with this?" it wasn't as though the Broker was lacking in funds, or methods of making more.

" _Khalisah's father is a powerful man, he has provided me with much insight on Bekenstein society over the years."_

Jacana nodded in understanding, "And now he's asked you for a favor."

" _He wants what is his."_

She said nothing. She didn't see how Khalisah's father had any claim to her dead husband's fortune but she could be sure that if the Broker found it for him, he would be demanding a sizable cut and a lifetime of loyalty. It must have been quite the fortune.

"I'm surprised you haven't just hauled her in and gotten it out of her the hard way."

There was a pause, _"When well known figures on the Citadel disappear there are questions, questions lead to investigations and investigations lead to more disappearances."_

"I'm catching your drift," Jacana agreed.

" _Then I can count on your success, Operative Menthe."_

It wasn't a question, but Jacana was long past being so easily threatened, "Finding an encryption key? Somehow I think I'll manage."

" _I will be waiting with baited breath,"_ the voice distortion didn't manage to mask the trace of sarcasm and Jacana smiled just a little, _"Shadow Broker out."_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Psst!"

Jacana stopped dead in the middle of the Presidium and rolled her eyes at the familiar voice as she waited for the inevitable follow-up.

"PSST!"

She turned, folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the top of the salarian's head that was poking up from behind the well-kept foliage that grew around the vast lakes of the Presidium.

"Quetzal," she said, loud enough for anyone passing to hear her, not that the bustling crowd seemed particularly interested in her or him as they rushed about their morning business. Quetzal, however, obviously though otherwise.

"Shh!" two big, black eyes emerged though a curtain of leaves and glowered, "You'll break my cover!"

"Cover? As what, a rose bush? Get out here you idiot!" she glanced around as he pulled himself from the shrubbery with much difficulty, pausing to brush the broken twigs from his, now torn, clothing. They were right next to the consort's chambers, near an outdoor café and on a thoroughfare to the embassies so there were plenty of people around. Luckily, to anyone bothering to watch they just looked like a couple of idiots making fools of themselves. An effect that was enhanced as Quetzal looked about surreptitiously, moved closer and slid a datapad from under his jacket.

"I have a message for you from you-know-who," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, continuing to glance around in a manner that would probably attract more attention than his exit from the bushes.

"Will you cut the cloak-and-dagger crap?" Jacana snapped, swiping the datapad swiftly from his hand, "This is not a spy vid! Agents aren't meant to look shifty! What is it?" she added, looking down at the data.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani's finances," he replied, suddenly seeming wholly unconcerned with secrecy as he scratched the underside of one eye with a long finger and thrust his hands deep into his pockets, "makes for some interesting reading I can tell you."

"Just give me the short version," Jacana muttered, the last thing she wanted was one of Quet's endless explanations.

"Suit yourself. She's broke."

"Broke? Really?" Jacana looked up sharply and he nodded, "What about the rich family?"

"She doesn't get a penny from them, hasn't since she left Bekenstein. I get the impression she did a runner and cut all ties."

"Which would explain why she's working as a small time reporter," Jacana reasoned, "Even so, she's got a decent enough job. She's not the highest paid journalist on the Citadel but she must do alright."

He nodded again and smiled smugly, Quet always enjoyed the brief moments when he knew more than she did, "All the money gets transferred out of her account at the end of each month."

"All of it? What does she live off?" it's not like Khalisah wasn't well turned out, she was clean, presentable, well dressed, looking like that didn't come cheap.

"Favors," Quetzal shrugged, "she seems to have a lot of dirt on a lot of people."

"Blackmail?"

"Nothing that could get her into too much trouble, she gets an apartment rent free in a block just down from the embassies. Has something on the owner, something about his wife and his mistress or… something. I wasn't really listening."

Jacana looked up and sighed, "You're a credit to the Broker's agents, Quet. Where does the money go?"

"Off world. Filters through several different accounts, bounces halfway across the galaxy and back and ends up on Earth. Took some finding. The Broker has had me on this for weeks, gave me access to resources I didn't even-

"Quet! Where on Earth?"

"Oh, some private school. Very expensive, dunno what they could be teaching them there that could be worth it, once you can talk and hide and hit back what more do you need?"

Jacana ignored him, "Why give all her money to a private school?"

"Dunno," he replied, apparently not realizing that she wasn't actually asking him, "but this school is serious, we can't get anywhere near the pupils, even the Broker can't trace who they are or why they're there. Their identities are better protected than ours."

"Could Khalisah have attended it when she was growing up on Earth?"

"Nah," he dismissed casually, "it didn't open until three years after they moved off world, I checked."

"Mm," Jacana looked at him for a moment, "you know, sometimes Quet, I almost think you might be competent at this job," she tucked the datapad into her inside pocket, "now hurry up and get lost, you're drawing more looks than a topless asari."

He paused and looked briefly around bustling Presidium, then shrugged and sniffed indifferently, "You're the conspicuous one Jacana, it's much rarer to see an asari with her clothes _on_ ," he gestured vaguely to her leathers, shook his head and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The card Khalisah had given Jacana was from the reception desk of the human embassy, it was nothing more than the embassy's contact details however and it wasn't going to get her much further than the front doors. She had no idea if Khalisah wanted her to wait at the reception desk or outside and she didn't much fancy hanging around in either spot, embassy security tended to be tight.

Though just as she began to consider her options, she saw Khalisah already standing outside the main doors. And she wasn't alone. She seemed to be speaking to a krogan, interviewing him judging by the video drone floating above her shoulder. Whatever she was saying was clearly provoking him, but as riled as he was getting she wouldn't back down. As Jacana approached she heard their voices getting louder and, quite abruptly, the krogan hit Khalisah with a punch that sent her staggering backwards into her own drone. As the drone clattered to the floor the krogan stormed away and Khalisah was left massaging her jaw. Bizarrely enough, she seemed to be smiling.

Jacana approached her, frowning curiously as the human gave her a triumphant grin, "Do you always have that effect on people?"

"Only when I need to," she held up her hand and Jacana saw a silver security pass glinting in the light, "the krogan works for embassy security," she explained, with a mischievous edge to her voice that both surprised and intrigued Jacana, perhaps there was more to Khalisah than she had first thought, "shall we let ourselves in?"

She led Jacana away from the main doors to a side entrance marked: Staff Only, which the krogan had presumably been guarding, and slid the pass over the console. Before Jacana had a chance to question or argue, the door had clicked open and they were inside.

"You know, there are easier ways to pick a man's pocket," Jacana muttered as she glanced around the empty corridor.

Khalisah simply shrugged, "I've learned to use my natural talents to my advantage."

"Getting punched?"

"Yes."

Jacana had no idea why they were breaking into the human embassy, but she was getting the impression that Khalisah was enjoying keeping her in the dark so she let it play out. There was no harm in giving her the reigns for a while, might even be interesting.

They strode at an impressive pace through a maze of back corridors and security rooms, avoiding several checkpoints and slipping through security scanners with a device Khalisah used to mask their presence. She was no amateur that was for sure.

As they rounded a corner they saw two human security officers crossing the corridor ahead of them and Khalisah quickly pushed her back out of their view. As Jacana peered in close around her shoulder to get a look at them, she could smell the scent of perfume on Khalisah's skin and in her hair and briefly wondered how the cash-strapped journalist acquired her beauty products.

"Aren't there cameras?" she whispered as they watched the officers pass.

"You're not the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve," Khalisah muttered, intriguing Jacana even further.

As the way became clear they moved on and eventually they emerged in the heart of the embassy where the offices of the highest diplomats were located. Jacana had listened in on many a conversation within these walls though she had never actually visited in person.

"Here we are," Khalisah led her to the nearest door, which held the name: Admiral Anderson. Jacana looked at her curiously from the corner of her eye but didn't voice the many questions that were running though her mind as Khalisah raised her hand and knocked sharply on the door.

"Come in!" the voice that answered was both weary and irritated and Jacana was sure his mood was not about to improve as Khalisah marched into his office, the locks of her hair bouncing with her stride. Jacana could tell instantly that this was not their first meeting.

Admiral Anderson was seated behind a desk facing the door. While he still carried a military title, Jacana knew that the old soldier was more of a military advisor to Councillor Udina these days and, rather than being in uniform, he wore a human style, cream suit which he was clearly uncomfortable in. As he looked up, his already irritated expression dropped like a stone.

" _You_."

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News," despite clearly not needing to introduce herself, Khalisah did it anyway, striding powerfully towards the desk and tossing her card down in front of him. He eyed it distastefully.

"How did you get in here? No!" he added quickly before she could respond, "Forget I asked, I probably don't want to know anyway," his eyes lingered briefly on Jacana, "and who the hell are you?"

Jacana took her chance, adopted her best naïve-but-likable smile and leaned forward to take his hand eagerly between both of hers, "Jacana Aragem, freelance journalist. It's an honour to meet you, Admiral, you're an absolute legend."

She hadn't convinced him, but then she hadn't really expected to. Anderson's expression was completely blank and even verged on bored as he blinked, looked between them and nodded, "Uh-hu, good cop, bad cop, is it? I get it."

Jacana let her expression fall to one of genuine concern, "I don't know what you mean, Admiral."

"Of course you don't. Let's get on with this shall we? What do you want?"

It must surely have been Anderson's dislike of his job that stopped him from calling security and having the pair of them thrown out, Jacana mused as she and Khalisah sat in the two chairs opposite his desk. Some part of him liked that they had made the embassy look bad by sneaking in past their security. Some part of him wanted to let slip a few secrets that were never meant to leave these offices and some, small part probably enjoyed hearing the diplomats and the politicians being slandered in Khalisah's news reports. All of this was likely what Khalisah had been betting on, had they gone to Councillor Udina's office they would already be back out on the street.

Jacana watched Khalisah as she positioned herself in her chair, smoothing down the ripples of her dress and flicking back the locks of her hair so that they settled softly about her shoulders. There was a precision to her every move as she sat back and scrutinised the admiral for a moment, pretending to consider her words carefully, though Jacana could tell they were already well rehearsed.

"You spoke with Commander Shepard recently."

"So did you," Anderson replied and a twitch at the corner of his mouth told Jacana that he had enjoyed watching it. Shepard had, after all, utterly destroyed Khalisah's attempts to interview her and made the journalist look a complete fool during a live broadcast. Khalisah didn't flinch now though, instead smiling calmly.

"I'm sure your conversation was more enlightening. Particularly regarding Cerberus."

Anderson sighed softly, dropped the datapad he had been working on and pointed at Khalisah across the desk, "Now let's get one thing straight: Cerberus is not part of the Alliance, they are a rouge group, an embarrassment to humanity and a stain on the galaxy."

"Yet Commander Shepard is working for them," Khalisah replied swiftly, "you know it, the Council knows it, the question is: why haven't you arrested her?"

Jacana could see where she was going with this, Cerberus weren't just mavericks they were terrorists. The Alliance had the right to arrest anyone who worked with them, as did the Council. Instead they had reinstated Shepard's spectre status and let her walk free. The Council may have just wanted to avoid the publicity of arresting the Hero of the Citadel but the Alliance? Maybe they thought she could do some good with Cerberus.

"Do you know something we don't, Admiral?"

Anderson leaned forwards across his desk, his eyes twinkling as they met Khalisah's gaze, "You wouldn't be recording this, would you?"

"Of course not."

Jacana believed her. She had the feeling Khalisah wasn't looking for proof right now as much as facts, if there was anything she wanted to make public, she could find the evidence later.

It seemed Anderson believed her too as he leaned in further, "Then what if I told you that Cerberus has spent the last two years bringing Shepard back from the dead because they think she's our best hope? Maybe I think she's our best hope too."

"Against what?"

There was a meaningful pause before he answered, "Do you really think Sovereign was built by the geth?"

Khalisah blinked and then briefly turned away, shaking her hair down to hide her expression as she bought herself time to form a response.

 _Useful trick,_ Jacana mused.

"Admiral," she began, using an itch on her nose as an excuse to lengthen the pause further, "are you alluding to some kind of cover-up?"

"I'm not alluding to anything," he sat back suddenly, "but I will say this: we lost half the human fleet in the battle for the Citadel and no one is jumping to help us rebuild. If you want to help humanity, Miss al-Jilani, you can do it by gaining us support on the Citadel, not ridiculing our greatest hero."

Khalisah considered him for a long while, "Thank you for your time, Admiral."

He snorted as she stood to leave, "Funny, I don't remember offering it."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"I knew it!" Khalisah stormed out of the front doors of the embassy, ignoring the questioning looks from the receptionist who knew she hadn't let them in, "I _knew_ the Alliance was in trouble!" Jacana half skipped to keep up with her as they broke out into the street. Her pace continued to increase as she ranted and then, quite abruptly, she stopped.

Jacana sailed past her, caught off balance by the sudden change and wondered briefly if this was payback for the stunt she'd pulled when they first met. But as she stopped and turned she saw Khalisah wasn't even looking at her. Instead she was frowning irritably, both hands on her hips as she gazed up into the Presidium sky.

"Damn Commander Shepard," she muttered bitterly, "throwing all those ships at the geth, we were never going to come back from it easily."

Jacana glanced around at the passing crowd, who were completely oblivious to them both, and considered Khalisah quietly. There was genuine annoyance in her tone, her grudge against Shepard seemed to go far beyond being embarrassed in interviews.

"She did save the Council."

"The Council?" Khalisah looked at her sharply, emerald eyes gleaming with fire and Jacana had to resist taking a step back, "You think we're better off with the Council than half the Alliance fleet? Do you have any idea how many people – real-life people, as you said – died to save a handful of politicians who can't even be bothered to investigate these colony attacks?"

She hesitated, this was clearly something she was going to have to tread carefully around, at least until she could predict Khalisah better, "So what are you going to do now?"

She frowned and thought but never got the chance to say anything as she was distracted by something over Jacana's shoulder. As Jacana turned and followed her gaze, she saw two human men detach themselves from the moving crowd and head their way. There was intent in their eyes and as they reached beneath their jackets, Jacana didn't wait to see the guns she knew they were carrying.

"Get down!" she ran at Khalisah and pushed her to the ground behind a bench, the first bullet ricocheted off it and showered sparks over their heads as they crouched in cover. Instinctively, she grabbed the pistol concealed beneath her own jacket and returned fire. She hit one in the head, killing him instantly while the second rolled out of her line of sight behind a food kiosk.

By now the crowd were scattering, accompanied by screams and confusion as Jacana saw another two men coming from the other direction. She didn't know who they were or why they were attacking but she did know that they had her and Khalisah surrounded. She was pretty sure they weren't after her, it had been well over a year since she had received any death threats, which probably meant Khalisah was their target.

She sent a few shots over the bench, all of which missed, though it did stop the men in their tracks as they darted into cover, "Dammit!" she hissed as she reloaded and tried to think of a way out of this.

But before she could come up with anything, a sniper shot rang out through the air, silencing the frightened crowd. One of the men's heads exploded in a fountain of crimson blood. Before the other could react Jacana saw a red dot appear on his forehead and a second shot was fired. She didn't wait to hear the third as she grabbed Khalisah by the wrist and pulled her from cover, "Run!"

They were out of the area before C-Sec arrived, running through several back alleys and side streets before slowing to a walk as Khalisah took the lead. The human said nothing. She didn't seem surprised by the attack. Jacana noticed that her fists were clenched and she was shaking, but that seemed to be more from anger than anything else.

As they walked, Jacana subtly activated her omni-tool and monitored the C-Sec response to the incident before releasing a few low-key viruses into their systems, scrambling their reports just enough to keep them from identifying her and Khalisah. The last thing she needed was C-Sec interference.

Khalisah led her to the top floor of an apartment block where she unlocked one of the doors with a pass card and led her inside. Jacana looked about. The apartment wasn't large, or particularly fancy, but property on the Presidium was always expensive, well out of Jacana's price range and even more out of Khalisah's.

It was decorated in what was considered to be modern, these days. Lots of white leather and black tiles. There was only one bedroom, up a glass spiral staircase where Jacana saw white silk sheets strewn in a mess across the mattress and onto the floor. The downstairs consisted of a small, square kitchen, which was mainly cluttered with wine glasses, takeaway packets and empty bottles, and an open living area where a white, square sofa looked out across the Presidium through huge picture windows. The floor was littered with high-heeled shoes, left where they had been kicked off after a long day, and various other garments: shawls, coats, dresses, all in the style that suited Khalisah's image. The whole apartment was in a similar state of disarray and didn't look to have been tidied in weeks.

As she looked back at the door she saw Khalisah leaning heavily against it, eyes closed as she steadied herself.

Jacana watched her curiously, "Are you alright?"

The look she got was venomous and she couldn't help but recoil a little, humans had a reputation for being unpredictably touchy, it seemed every stereotype had an element of truth. Still, her ferocity added an extra element of majesty to her that Jacana had to admire.

"Do you know who they were?"

"Thugs with guns," she replied, as though no more needed to be said. She moved away from the door to the sofa where she had to move a pile of clothes, datapads and wine bottles to clear enough space to sit, hitching up the skirt of her dress so she could curl her legs up beneath herself. Jacana saw she was wearing expensive-looking stockings and wondered what petty crimes the journalist must be reduced to keep up her appearance.

She eyed Jacana warily for a moment as she pulled off her shoes and tossed them onto the floor, "You seem pretty handy with that thing," she nodded at the pistol still in her hand, "someone else with a gun."

Jacana looked down at the weapon and slowly concealed it back beneath her jacket, "You have a problem with guns?"

"I grew up around men with guns. Thugs, gangs, military soldiers, they're all the same."

"You're a pacifist?"

Khalisah glared at her, "I suppose you could say that."

Jacana was surprised to feel intimidated, Khalisah had a wall of ice between her and the world, cold and sharp if you got too close. She sensed a way in through this conversation but hesitated all the same, there was something about those eyes, the way they glinted so dangerously, demanding her to feel shame for something she didn't know she'd done.

"Did you grow up on Earth?"

Khalisah considered her coldly, "Bekenstein. My father moved us there when I was a child. Do you know it?"

Jacana nodded, "Were you on the rich side or the poor? I've heard there's nothing in between."

She snorted grimly, "My father wasn't the type to mingle with the poor."

Jacana waited, unsure how to proceed. The attack was clearly related to the inheritance, what else could it have been? This might be the only opportunity she was going to get to question Khalisah about it but if she didn't do it right there would be no second chances, "Who were those men?"

She shook her head a little and shrugged, as though it didn't matter, "There are any number of people who could have sent them. I have something a lot of people want."

"And the snipers?"

She said nothing. Jacana felt her chance slipping away from her and she moved to perch on the coffee table opposite the sofa.

"Talk to me. Maybe I can help."

Khalisah looked at her for a moment, emerald eyes gleaming. She was moments away from breaking, Jacana could feel it.

"Why do you carry a gun?" she asked, from the sound of her voice her throat had gone dry and her tone was filled with suspicion.

Jacana blinked, "I've been a journalist for over three hundred years. I've put people in prison. I've exposed political scandals. I've made a lot of enemies, many of them dangerous," it wasn't hard to make that sound genuine, it was all true.

Khalisah searched her expression for a long while. Then, quite abruptly, she sighed and all of her defenses fell away.

"I had a husband on Bekenstein. He died recently."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she looked up sharply, "it was no love story. My father sold me to him, more or less. To complete a business deal. Donovan didn't mistreat me, on the contrary, he gave me whatever I wanted. I lived like a queen. But he was cruel to other people, his businesses were all fronts for organized crime. So I exposed his secrets and I ran away to the Citadel."

Jacana frowned, "That's why you became a journalist? And those men? Were they after revenge?"

She shook her head, "They were after my husband's fortune. He encrypted his finances, the one who provides the encryption key will get the money. They think I have it."

"Do you?"

"No."

Jacana waited for a flicker of deceit, a hesitation, a hint, anything to suggest she was lying. Nothing presented itself.

"Do you know who does?"

Now the flicker came, "No."

Khalisah suddenly folded, her hands went up to her eyes and she leaned forward heavily, "Why am I telling you all this?"

Jacana considered her options quickly, Khalisah was showing uncharacteristic signs of weakness, she was vulnerable, emotional and Jacana at least seemed to have gained some of her trust.

"Because you need help," she decided, standing swiftly and offering Khalisah her hand, "come with me, I've got an idea."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Are you sure about this?"

Jacana and Khalisah entered the financial district, blending into a crowd of traders and businessmen as they headed for the offices of the Citadel's top bankers.

"Completely," Jacana told her, "Barla Von is an old contact of mine. He has resources everywhere and he's good at finding people."

In truth, Barla Von didn't have access to half the resources Jacana did and she didn't need his help to find anyone, but he would be useful for keeping up the act. Khalisah was just about starting to trust her, at least as much as Khalisah trusted anyone.

"He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"True," she agreed, there were actually a lot of agents on the Citadel, Barla Von was just their public face, the Broker needed to be contactable after all. The _real_ agents were never discovered unless the Broker wanted them to be, "the Shadow Broker is known for trading information, and Barla Von owes me a favour."

"How often do you deal with him?"

"Now and then."

"Hm. You have interesting contacts for a freelance journalist without the resources to investigate colony attacks on her own."

Jacana hesitated, "I've been around a long time."

They reached Barla Von's offices to find a volus standing at the reception desk, "Do you have an appointment?" he was asking a turian in front of them, "No one sees Barla Von without an appointment."

"Mm," Jacana grimaced, "this could be a problem.

Khalisah smirked softly and folded her arms, "Leave it to me."

The volus, being half the height of the average human, was not tall enough to punch Khalisah, so instead she got a kick in the shins for her trouble as she questioned him on risky business deals made by the volus government over the past financial year.

 _Never question the volus on their business sense,_ Jacana noted as he stormed away, leaving Khalisah hopping briefly on one leg before she limped over to the door of the main office. Jacana joined her and failed to hide a smile, "You're worryingly good at that."

"I've had a lot of practice," she mused, "believe me."

They entered the office to find Barla Von standing behind his console, the volus looked up as they entered and seemed to incline his head slightly through the breathing apparatus of his environmental suit.

"Ah, Jacana," he spoke in his usual slow, precise tone and his greeting was genuinely courteous, "I see you found a way past my assistant. I will reprimand him later. And you brought one of the Earth clan," his attention turned to Khalisah with polite interest.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani," she declared, "Westerlund News."

"Ah, yes," Barla may have smiled, it was impossible to tell beneath the chunky exterior of his metal helmet, "I have heard your name before, Earth clan, several of your stories have caused fluctuations in the markets."

Khalisah's expression remained blank but Jacana thought she saw a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes, "We need a favour Barla. We were attacked this morning, outside the human embassy."

"Yes," he agreed, turning back to his console, "by Bekenstein mercenaries I believe, what _have_ you been up to this time, Jacana?"

It wasn't a question he expected her to answer, which was just as well, "I need to know who sent them."

"Mm," he mused, "trading information on dangerous men can be a risky business, and an expensive one."

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. After all, I helped your cousin with his wife."

Barla Von, to Jacana's knowledge, didn't have a cousin, with or without a wife. This was universal code among the agents for: this is Shadow Broker business, he will reimburse you. And it seemed to work.

"Mm," he purred softly, "true. Perhaps I can help you. I don't know who hired those mercenaries, but they did arrive with another human man who did not participate in the attack."

"Do you have a name?"

"Only a false one. I could do some digging, but it may be faster to question him yourself, you'll find him at Sha'ira's."

Jacana nodded, "Thanks Barla."

"It was my pleasure," he turned to Khalisah, "it was nice to finally meet you Miss al-Jilani. I am sure you will make waves in the future."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The asari consort, Sha'ira, had her chambers just a short walk from the financial district. Many of her rich clients worked there during the day and retired to the chambers in the evening for respite from their stressful jobs.

The consort herself was no longer on the Citadel having been driven away by scandal (partly thanks to one of Khalisah's stories) but several of her assistants had kept the chambers going. There they dished out advice and comfort to whoever could afford it, and occasionally sex, though not half as often as people liked to believe.

"I don't understand what you're hoping to achieve," Khalisah said as they walked, Jacana being sure to match her brisk, swift pace, "you can't help me with this, half of Bekenstein want that encryption key. What good will finding one man do?"

"A lead is a lead," Jacana told her.

She noticed Khalisah casting her a glance from the corner of her eye, "Why are you doing this?"

"I like you," she replied simply, "and I don't like to see people being persecuted for no reason," both statements were true, neither were the actual answer to her question, "there is something I don't understand though, who sent those snipers?"

The question seemed to cause irritation in Khalisah and Jacana saw her hands clench briefly as she looked away, "My father, I imagine."

"He's protecting you?"

"Not in the way you'd think. He wants the encryption key as much as everyone else does. But I know all his secrets and I have safe guards in place to ensure that if anything happens to me, the whole galaxy will know them too. He can't lay a hand on me or let anyone else touch me either. I could ruin him of course, but then there would be nothing stopping him from taking revenge. So we're locked in an eternal stalemate."  
Jacana considered this quietly, it seemed to her that Khalisah had been very badly treated throughout her life. What was more worrying was that she didn't seem to know that she deserved better.

"Here we are," they arrived outside the chambers and Jacana stopped and sighed. She didn't have a plan for this. Sha'ira's was notoriously difficult to get into without an appointment and there was about an eight month waiting list. The asari greeting customers at the door may have looked all sweetness and light but Jacana knew there was no getting past her, not without causing a scene anyway.

"This could be difficult. We might have to wait for him to come out."

"Hanging around outside Sha'ira's will draw too much attention," Khalisah muttered, "leave it to me."

"Wait a minute," as she moved forwards, Jacana caught her swiftly by the elbow, "Sha'ira's attendants are trained in patience and tolerance. I doubt she'll just punch you and storm off like the others did."

Khalisah raised one of her delicate eyebrows and gave Jacana a sweet yet superior smile, "Watch and learn, Miss Aragem."

Jacana lingered at a distance as Khalisah approached the attendant. She walked more slowly than her usual, brisk stride and rather than intimidating with her brusque manner she seemed to strike up a friendly conversation. Jacana couldn't hear what was being said but each comment was interspersed with laughter from both of them.

As the conversation progressed, Khalisah began playing absently with a lock of her hair and leaned casually against the wall, moving subtly closer to the asari until they were inches apart and talking in low voices. Khalisah leaned in to whisper something and the asari giggled, she was no young maiden but, Goddess, she was falling for it. Khalisah reached a hand up to her waist and Jacana watched in amazement as the human drew her into a gentle kiss, followed by another, much longer one.

 _It's definitely the hair,_ she mused as Khalisah drew her prey further from the chambers and kept her attention firmly occupied. She gestured briefly to Jacana, who nodded and moved swiftly to the door, slipping past the couple with the slightest shake of her head.

She lingered just within the entrance for a moment until Khalisah appeared, touching up her lipstick with the aid of a compact mirror.

"What?" she asked as she noticed Jacana's expression.

"Why do I get the impression you've done that before?"

"It's not difficult," she replied, "you asari are such hopeless romantics, you fall for it more easily than most men."

If Jacana had possessed eyebrows, she was sure she would have been raising them, "What did you tell her?"

"That I'm doing a story on the consort to disprove the scandalous rumors about her."

"Hm. I believe you _started_ most of those rumors."

No one questioned them once they were inside. Clients sat on pristine leather sofas, tended to by asari who spoke softly and smiled sweetly, hiding any true feelings they might have had behind a well-trained air of acceptance.

Jacana knew they were looking for a human man but most of the clients present were turians, a few volus, an elcor. They carried on through to the private rooms where activities were concealed behind closed doors. Jacana was starting to wonder how they were going to subtly search the place without arousing suspicions when Khalisah abruptly stopped and grabbed her arm.

"Shh," she muttered, not that Jacana had been making any noise. Khalisah's brow creased slightly and her eyes narrowed as she listened. Jacana waited, all she could hear were three voices coming from behind the nearest door. Two were the gentle tones of the attendants, the third did sound like a human man.

"I know that voice," Khalisah decided and without warning she opened the door and stormed in.

The man was young. Jacana didn't know human years well enough to pin an age to him but she would guess he was younger than Khalisah, perhaps not far past adolescence. He grew his hair longer than most human men seemed to and it hung in a curtain of soft, brown locks that half covered a long, thin face. He was as slender as a turian with long, lanky legs that stretched out awkwardly as he sat. He was also topless, revealing soft, pale skin that seemed to have rarely seen sunlight.

"Robin," Khalisah addressed him coldly, both hands on her hips as she glared at him dangerously.

His dark eyes widened at the sight of her, "Khalisah?" he stood hastily, pushing away the two attendants who sat either side of him.

"Expected two of your boys to bring me to you, did you?" she demanded, fury glittering emerald green in her eyes, "I'm afraid they're all dead."

The blood drained from the boy's face, turning him an even paler shade of white, "They're- I- _what?_ " he stammered, the strands of his hair falling further over his eyes as he tried to toss them back with little success. Jacana couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, if _she_ found Khalisah intimidating, what chance did he have?

"Excuse me," one of the asari attendants spoke up indignantly, "our clients pay a great deal for their privacy, you can't just come barging in here."

Khalisah ignored her. Jacana, on the other hand, quickly checked the corridor, snapped the door shut and drew the pistol from her jacket, turning the man even paler and making the asari's mouth fall open as both of the attendants froze.

"I think you'll find we can."

"Please," the indignant one muttered after staring at the gun for a moment, "this is a place of peace."

Jacana snorted, "I know exactly what this place is. Since Sha'ira left you have become one step away from turning these chambers into the brothel everyone always thought they were and as for the drug smuggling – oh yes, I know all about that. What is it humans say? When the cat's away the mice will play?" the attendant swallowed and said nothing, "I suggest you two keep your pretty little mouths shut while we conduct our business. And don't even think about touching that panic button, I know exactly where it is. Hands up where I can see them," she half turned to Khalisah, "who is he?"

Khalisah scowled, "Robin and I grew up in the same circles on Bekenstein, our fathers are business rivals. Was it him who sent you?"

Robin gulped, his eyes flitting feverishly between her and the gun as he stammered for an answer, "It's nothing personal Kay, you know what father's like. He made me do it!"

To Jacana's surprise, Khalisah slapped the boy across the head, like he were nothing more than an annoying sibling, and he recoiled in alarm, " _He made me do it!"_ she retorted sharply,"Do you have any idea how pathetic that sounds? You always were a sniveling little coward Robin! And you wonder why I never slept with you!"

Jacana had to stifle a snigger as the blood suddenly rushed back to Robin's cheeks and he flushed crimson and looked at the floor.

"He wants Hock's money, Kay. Everyone on Bekenstein does. They're all fighting to try and get to you," he looked up at her sheepishly and tossed the thick hair from his eyes again, only for it to fall immediately back into place, "I don't understand why you don't just give them the key and claim the inheritance, it would give you enough power to keep them all off your back."

Jacana frowned, she was still watching the attendants but the bizarre conversation was intriguing her, "Is his fortune really so great?"

He looked at her and blinked, as though surprised she needed to ask, "He owned half the planet. Not to mention his real estate on Earth and his businesses on the Citadel. Whoever gets that money tips the balance of power on Bekenstein and holds a good chunk of the galactic economy."

Jacana said nothing. She was starting to understand why the Shadow Broker was so interested in this, and why the rich families of Bekenstein were willing to risk sending mercenaries to the Citadel just to get to Khalisah. Khalisah herself, however, seemed nothing but irritated.

"That arrogant bastard's caused nothing but trouble since the day I met him," she muttered bitterly as she turned away and paced the room, "I should never have married him."

Robin sniffed quietly, "I don't remember you having much of a choice."

"Hm," she mused grimly, "I should have run away then, rather than waiting for things to get worse."

"Well," he shrugged, "I did offer."

She turned to look at him for a long while, "I know. You always tried to do right by me Rob, until you sent your father's men to kidnap me of course."

"I told them not to hurt you!" he insisted suddenly, eyes wide with desperation for her to believe him, "I thought if I got to you before my father did then I could help you escape or something! Probably stupid, I know, but…"

As he trailed off they heard shouting in the corridor outside and several shots were fired. Khalisah looked instantly at Robin who raised his hands and shook his head.

"That's nothing to do with me."

Jacana crossed to the door and opened it, just a crack. Several armored humans were working their way down the corridor, kicking in every door and shooting at anyone who dared to scream.

"They must be looking for you," she turned to Khalisah who in turn looked at Robin.

"How many people are after me?"

"Too many. Seriously Kay, this is so much bigger than you know."

"Shit!" as Khalisah's head fell into her hands, Jacana immediately moved towards the terrified attendants and pointed the pistol at them both.

"Where's the back door? Come on, I know there are secret exits hidden in each one of these rooms, your clients use them all the time. _Where is it?"_

One of them gulped and looked briefly towards a cabinet at the back of the room, "Thank you," Jacana told her before swiftly grabbing Khalisah by the arm and pulling her towards it.

"Kay!" they stopped briefly at Robin's voice and turned to see him staring at her helplessly, "I'm sorry."

With that, Jacana pulled her through the hidden door and they emerged into a narrow passage.

It was dark, and cold, probably an old maintenance tunnel, Jacana assumed. She activated her omni-tool to light their way and looked left and then right before deciding on left. They didn't speak as they walked but their footsteps echoed through the empty space and Jacana could hear Khalisah's breathing increasing rapidly with each stride, laced with the mild threat of panic as she kept glancing behind them to see if they were being followed. Jacana kept a firm hold of her hand as she led her down the passage and was well aware the journalist was shaking.

They passed several other secret doors that led to other private rooms but no one else seemed to have managed to escape. They heard two muffled shots from behind one of them and a scream and Khalisah jumped nervously, prompting Jacana to tighten her grip.

As they moved away from Sha'ira's they turned several sharp corners and the passage began to widen out. Pipes and wires ran along the walls and the ceiling and Jacana could hear the distant chatter of the bustling Presidium coming from somewhere ahead. They encountered a keeper who was working at a console where hundreds of wires met, the insect-like creature ignored them as they squeezed past it and found themselves at a grate looking out into a secluded back alley.

"So that's why I've seen Councillor Udina coming out of this alley so often," Jacana mused softly as she slid the grate aside and stepped out. There seemed to be no one about and she nodded to Khalisah who followed her.

"This alley leads directly onto the Presidium," she told her quietly, "we can get lost in the crowd."

"No," Khalisah said sharply, without warning she hitched up the hem of her dress and fished something out from the inside of her shoe, "we should split up, it's me they're looking for, they won't even notice you if you're on your own."

"But-

Before Jacana could protest further, Khalisah pressed the object into her hand and she saw it was a small data disc, "Take this. Keep it safe."

Jacana stared at it blankly, "But, what is-

" _Please,"_ Khalisah insisted, clasping Jacana's hand in both of hers, "it'simportant."

She looked deep into Khalisah's eyes and saw something strange lurking there, desperation? Fear?

She nodded, "Okay. But take this," she handed her a card with her address on it, "get to my apartment, if you can, yours won't be safe."

She looked down at the card and nodded, "I'll meet you there."

She turned and they went their separate ways.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jacana tapped her chin thoughtfully with the data disc, turned it over several times in her hands and finally sighed. She stared at the slot on her console and held the disc as though to slide it in, then changed her mind and tapped her chin again.

Five times she had done this so far. She didn't know what was stopping her from finding out what was on the disc. All she did know was that Khalisah had placed her trust in her, and she wasn't a woman who gave her trust easily. Admittedly she _had_ been being chased by armed men and had few other options at the time, but even so.

She glanced up at her television screen where the news was playing quietly in the background: _"Sha'ira's, on the Presidium was attacked earlier today. The unknown mercenaries stormed the building, shot and killed four attendants and two clients and then left before C-Sec arrived on the scene. The motive for the attack is unknown."_

Jacana sighed, this was getting out of hand. The Shadow Broker should have told her how much that damned inheritance was worth from the beginning, she would have handled things a lot differently if she had known half the Bekenstein hierarchy was going to come after her.

Her communicator beeped.

" _Operative Menthe, your status update is due_."

She cast the comm a bitter look and ignored it as it began to flash expectantly for her response. She hadn't heard from Khalisah since they had split up in the alley, she had arrived home over three hours ago, night had fallen and there had been nothing. She had put every agent in the area on alert, hoping they could keep Khalisah safe without revealing themselves. She was sure the Broker didn't approve, he likely considered Khalisah expendable, like he considered everyone expendable.

" _Operative Menthe, I require an update."_

She hit the off switch and the comm fell silent. She considered going out to find Khalisah herself, but that would only cause problems if she did manage to make it to the apartment on her own. She looked back at the data disk and considered that it might hold useful data that would help, but was that a breach of trust? She scrunched her hand into a fist and screamed, it wasn't often that she didn't know what to do.

There was a knock at the door and she looked up sharply before grabbing her pistol and crossing the room. She opened the door just a crack and peered through cautiously until she saw the elegant figure of a human woman silhouetted by the light of the corridor.

"Khalisah!" she grabbed her and pulled her inside, swiftly locking the door again before taking her by the arms and looking her up and down, "Are you alright? Did they find you?"

She could see Khalisah was shaken but to her credit she straightened up, broadened her shoulders, tossed a loose lock back from her eyes and shook her head.

"No. I think I was being tracked by at least six different groups but they were too busy fighting each other to catch up with me. Then my father's men turned up, he seems to have sent his whole private army. I don't think anyone followed me here though."

For reasons Jacana couldn't quite comprehend, she pulled Khalisah tightly into a hug, holding her close so that she could smell the scent of citrus in her hair and feel the soft locks against her cheek, "Thank the Goddess, I thought I'd got you killed."

"You?" Khalisah queried as she gently pulled herself free.

"I'm the one who took you to Sha'ira's, then left you in that alley. If I'd had any idea how serious all this was I swear-

"Forget about it. It's me who dragged you into my problems, I should be the one apologizing."

Jacana felt a twinge of guilt as Khalisah wearily crossed the room and leaned heavily on the kitchen counter. The news report was still droning softly in the background and she glanced up at the screen where the pictures of all six victims were being displayed. Robin wasn't among them, but the two attendants he had been with were. She sighed and shook her head.

"Guns. Invented to kill. What good could ever come from that?" Jacana said nothing, discretely slipping her own pistol back into its holster as Khalisah turned to look at her, "Have you got the data disc I gave you?"

"Yes."

"Did you look at what's on it?"

"Of course not."

Khalisah gave her a curious look, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth, then she held out her hand. Jacana handed the disc over and followed Khalisah to the console.

"May I?" Khalisah asked and sat as she slipped the disc into the drive and waited. Jacana leaned in over her shoulder as the data came up on the screen. It was heavily encrypted and it took Khalisah a few minutes to get past the multiple passwords and firewalls until, eventually, the image of a young human girl came up on the screen, along with a list of personal details.

From her date of birth Jacana worked out that she was ten years old, dark hair hung sweetly in ringlets about her shoulders and she was grinning brightly like children do, her emerald eyes dazzling. Jacana looked at the name: Daniyah Hock.

Khalisah leaned back and watched her reaction calmly, "Donovan and I have a daughter."

Jacana blinked at the girl, she was the spitting image of Khalisah, right down to the eyebrows, "Is she on Bekenstein?"

"No. I took her with me when I left. I sent her to Earth, haven't seen her in years."

 _The school fees,_ Jacana suddenly realised, for a school that protected it pupils' identities so that even the Broker couldn't find them, "Why didn't you go with her?"

"We'd be easier to track if we were together. Once I decided to run away, Donovan wasn't interested in getting me back but he wanted Daniyah, he and my father threw everything into trying to find her."

"But you didn't want that?"

Khalisah folded her arms, chewing at the corner of her mouth as she seemed to consider her answer, "Growing up rich on Bekenstein isn't the fairy tale everyone imagines. Everything comes down to business and profit. Girls are sold as wives to rich men as part of contracts between powerful families, our one and only purpose to produce heirs for their empires. Empires built on slavery and extortion, all enforced by private mercenary armies. Thugs with guns, if you like. It's dressed up behind wealth and luxury and made to look pretty but that's what it boils down to."

"That's…"

"Barbaric," Khalisah finished for her, "you understand why I want to keep her away?"

Jacana nodded slowly, "What about Robin? He said he offered to help you run away before you married Donovan."

Khalisah snorted but smiled nostalgically all the same, "He was a lot younger than me, worshiped the ground I walked on. Probably thought I was sex on legs. The boys don't fare much better than the girls on Bekenstein, not the kind ones anyway. His plan wouldn't have worked, and even if it had, I would just have been using him, like my parents used me. That's all anyone does really, we're just tools to each other. No one cares about anyone but themselves."

Jacana hesitated, in the dim light of her apartment, Khalisah's eyes were gleaming with a lifelong bitterness but Jacana believed that part of her wanted to be proved wrong, "I don't believe that."

"No?" she looked at her sharply, aggression returning so suddenly to her voice that it took Jacana off-guard, "You wanted to use me to advance your career. I'm using you to protect me from the thugs who want that money."

"But you're protecting your daughter, you've gone through hell just to keep her safe," she looked at the smiling girl on the screen and frowned, "but I don't understand, what does she have to do with the inheritance?"

Khalisah didn't answer at once, also gazing at the screen quietly, "I told you that I don't have the encryption key, and it's true, I don't. But I know who does."

Jacana looked between her and the picture, then nodded softly as she understood, "Daniyah? She has the key?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head "She _is_ the key. Donovan's finances are encrypted with her DNA."

"Her DNA?" Jacana frowned and faltered, DNA encryption was one of the most secure methods in the galaxy for protecting any kind of data but whoever's DNA you used, it always made them a target, "Does your father know?"

"No one knows, not even Daniyah herself. Donovan only ever told me," she cleared her throat, suddenly becoming uncomfortable as she fidgeted and turned away, "I don't know why I told you, really."

Jacana watched her carefully, "Because you trust me?"

Khalisah didn't argue, she didn't agree, but she didn't argue as she made a point of avoiding Jacana's gaze.

"I would happily take Donovan's money, you know. I'm owed it. And I would make much better use of it than those bastards who currently run Bekenstein. But I won't hand Daniyah over to get it. She's safe on Earth, I won't involve her in this."

Jacana nodded, "I understand. What about this data disc? Why do you carry it with you?"

She looked at the picture of her daughter on the screen, "It's the only record of where she is and how to find her. I use it to contact her a few times every week."

"When was the last time you saw her in person?"

"When I sent her away. About five years ago now," she turned to look at Jacana sadly, her eyes glistening brightly, "That's a long time for a human child. She's a different person now."

There was pain in her eyes and in an almost instinctive response to it Jacana reached up a hand to brush Khalisah's hair back from her brow, the dark strands slipping easily through her fingers like silk, "I'm sorry. What are you going to do?"

She shrugged helplessly, "I don't know."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The rest of the night passed and most of the day. Khalisah had been exhausted so Jacana had put her in her bedroom where she had been asleep since dawn. Jacana herself hadn't slept but had instead spent most of the day pacing around the apartment.

She had everything she needed. All she had to do was send Daniyah's location to the Shadow Broker, the assignment would be completed and she would take her pay and move on to the next. Yet every time she passed that picture of the smiling girl on her console, a lump caught in her throat.

Was she really going to stoop so low? Had her decades of service to the Broker robbed her of all self-respect? She was no young, inexperienced agent desperate to gain his approval. Going against his orders was never a good idea, even with her long history of loyalty she knew she wasn't indispensable, but handing a child over to the Bekenstein high society? It seemed like a step too far.

On the other hand, what was the alternative? It was only a matter of time before the numerous mercenaries that were roaming the Citadel managed to track Khalisah to this apartment. She knew she couldn't protect her without the Broker's help and persuading him to give it was going to require some serious smooth talking.

She had spent the whole day working out what she was going to say and had finally plucked up the courage to reactivate her comm only to find that the Broker's feed was down. This was unusual but not unheard of and so she leaned back against the console and waited. As she did, she spotted something at her shoulder; a loop of hair trapped beneath the neck of her top, left there from when she had pulled Khalisah close to her.

She pulled the dark strand free, holding it taut between her fingers and twisting it so it glinted in the dim light as she gazed at it thoughtfully. The vague beginnings of an idea were half formed in her mind when the comm suddenly flickered into life and the distorted voice of the Shadow Broker began broadcasting to all agents across the whole galaxy.

" _This is the Shadow Broker. The situation is under control. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading hardware, it disrupted communications momentarily. However, we are now back online. Resume standard procedures. I want a status report on all operations within the next solar day. Shadow Broker out."_

Jacana looked at the comm as the transmission ended and chewed on her lip thoughtfully. That gave her a day. A lot could happen in a day. She made her decision, grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

* * *

Quetzal's day job was about the most mundane cover that had ever been invented for one of the Broker's agents. As Jacana walked into the accounting office, the salarian spotted her and almost fell off his chair. After looking around quickly at his five other colleagues, most of whom were spending their last hour of work skiving and surfing the extranet, Quet jumped to his feet and rushed over to her.

" _What_ are you _doing_ here?" he demanded in an urgent whisper, "Are you _trying_ to break my cover."

"Oh stop being such a drama queen," she muttered, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him into a nearby stationary cupboard, slamming the door shut to give a modicum of privacy. Squashed together in the tight space and silhouetted in darkness, Quet opened and closed his mouth several times as he stammered through several protests.

"Are you _insane?_ My co-workers are out there! How am I going to explain why a random asari walked in and locked me in a cupboard with her?"

Jacana blinked, "Tell them I'm your mistress. You'll have bragging rights for months," he opened his mouth again but she cut him off with a swift gesture, "listen to me. Donovan Hock's finances, do you have access to them?"

He glared at her incredulously through the din, "Of course not. They're encrypted!"

"I know that you idiot!" she hissed, "I mean, can you get into where the files are stored?"

"Yes, of course I can," he folded his arms, with some difficulty in the cramped space, and looked at her indignantly, as though offended she had to ask.

"So, can you decrypt them yourself? Create your own encryption key?"

"Don't be ridiculous Jacana, if I could do that the Broker wouldn't need to give you this assignment, would he?"

"Don't get smart with me, Quet," she moved her face closer to his so that he could see the glint in her peppermint eyes, "I know you are ten times the hacker you make yourself out to be. I also know that if the Shadow Broker ever found out just how talented you are he might start giving you the more dangerous assignments. More likely to end in your death."

"All right. All right. There's no need to get all threatening on me," he glanced towards the crack in the door where the light from the office was bleeding through and then lowered his voice even further, "look, do you think I haven't tried to crack it? Those accounts are better encrypted than STG personnel files."

"What if I told you that the files are encrypted with the DNA of a human girl?"

"DNA encryption huh?" he paused thoughtfully, "That narrows down some of my options I suppose… do you have a sample of the DNA?"

"No. But I have her mother's," she pulled a sealed plastic bag from her pocket where she had placed the hair she had found on her shoulder.

Quetzal took the bag, held it up to the crack of light and grimaced, "You expect me to hash together a genetic code capable of fooling Donovan Hock's computers with a single strand of hair not even containing the actual DNA I need?"

"Can you do it or not?"

Annoyance gleamed in his salarian eyes as he looked at her, but it was mixed with the anticipation of a challenge. In the end he finally sighed and conceded, "Maybe. With a few weeks of work and some extra resources-

"You've got twenty-four hours and the Broker can't know."

"You're going behind his back?"

"I'll make sure you're well compensated."

He hesitated, trying to read her face through the dark, she was sure to keep it perfectly straight and deadly serious, "Mm. On second thoughts, twenty-four hours is plenty of time. Particularly if I don't sleep. Or eat. Or take toilet breaks."

"I knew I could count on you," Jacana smiled and opened the cupboard door, skilfully sliding out from between him and the shelves of stationary supplies. Quet followed her and stood for a moment, looking at his curious colleagues, all of whom were pretending not to watch and whisper.

"You know," he began slowly, "if we're going to make this mistress thing convincing, I should really get a kiss."

She eyed him briefly and smiled, "Don't push your luck."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

It was evening when Jacana returned home. Khalisah had woken and was in the kitchen as she entered, leaning heavily on the counter as she watched further coverage of the attack on Sha'ira's.

"Where were you?" she asked, her tone was casual but laced with suspicion. Jacana could hardly blame her.

"I had some work errands to run. I didn't want anyone to come looking for me if I missed them."

She wasn't entirely sure she had convinced her but Khalisah didn't enquire any further as she turned back to the news report.

"That asari who was tending the door at Sha'ira's. She was one of ones they shot."

Jacana watched her carefully for moment as she slipped off her jacket and moved to stand beside her, "That's not your fault."

"Of course it is. I used her and then I got her killed. I'd probably do it again."

"No, you wouldn't. Not if you could avoid it."

Khalisah turned to stare at her sharply, "You seem to have an awful lot of faith in me, Jacana. I can only assume it's because you don't know me."

Jacana blinked at her tone but avoided flinching. It was quite clear that Khalisah had woken with vague memories of the night before and rapidly begun to regret trusting Jacana with her secret. Knowing how Khalisah had been treated in the past she decided not to take that as an insult, instead remaining calm as she asked: "What do you mean?"

Khalisah snorted grimly, "Oh, come on. It can't have escaped your notice that I am not a very nice person. I destroy people's reputations to get my stories. Expose non-existent scandals just to make some more money. I use anyone I can get my hands on, including you. How many times have you nearly died since meeting me? Why are you even still helping?"

"Because I like you."

"No one likes me! I go out of my way to be _un_ likable."

"And why's that?"

Green eyes narrowed dangerously, glittering with fire, "I find it's the best way to get an honest response from people. It seems not to have worked on you."

"I don't understand."

"Really? I am not stupid you know. I've been thinking while you were out. What are the chances of you turning up with a gun, and a reasonable skill at using it, just as half the Bekenstein hierarchy decide they want to kidnap me? Not to mention using one of the contacts you claimed not to have to find Robin and then, conveniently, knowing the back door out of Sha'ira's. Do you expect me to believe that it's all one big coincidence? Who _are_ you, Jacana? What do you want?"

Jacana swallowed. The honest truth was that most of it _had_ been a coincidence. As for what she wanted and why she was helping? She wasn't even sure she knew anymore, not really. But she did know that this had gone far beyond a simple assignment.

She stepped forward cautiously as she replied, "I'm a friend. We're not so rare. And I want you to be able to trust me."

"Why?"

"Because you should have someone you can trust. Everyone should. And because…" she trailed off as Khalisah's eyebrows arched accusingly and she struggled not to shrink beneath her gaze, "because I want to see deeper. I want to know who it is that's lurking behind those eyes."

Khalisah blinked, clearly taken aback. Rage had been building inside her but now it abruptly faded, replaced only with anguish. As she searched Jacana's face for answers she suddenly backed down and turned away towards the counter, "No one," she muttered grimly, "there's nothing there Jacana, no hidden depths. I am exactly what people think I am, an untalented reporter willing to sell her own mother if it would get her a story."

"I don't believe that for a second," on impulse, Jacana moved forward, slipped a hand around Khalisah's waist and drew her closer. Khalisah didn't turn to face her but watched her tentatively from the corner of her eye, "even if your intentions aren't always pure, the reasons behind them are. If you were heartless then you wouldn't be tearing yourself apart over the death of an asari you barely knew for more than a minute."

"I deceived her just to get through the door and then she was killed by the men hunting me."

"That's on them. Not you."

"This isn't about blame!" she snapped, "I got her killed. I'd do it again. The point is that I _don't_ regret it!"

Jacana pulled her away from the counter, holding her firmly so that they stood face-to-face and for the first time she recognised something within the human; the ability to survive and the willingness to do whatever it would take. But then Khalisah's face crumpled into something like despair and she avoided all eye contact, "Yes you do," Jacana told her quietly, "you regret that it was necessary. You can't expect me to believe that you are selfish and cruel when everything you do and every sacrifice you make is to protect your own daughter."

"And damn anyone who gets hurt along the way?"

"No, Khalisah," Jacana cupped her cheek in her hand so that she was forced to look her in the eye, "That's not true."

"Isn't it?"

"No," barely and inch apart, Jacana leaned in further and felt the warmth of Khalisah's breath against her skin, "you are so much more than you think you are," their lips touched and Khalisah didn't resist as Jacana pulled her in. The kiss was warm, natural, Khalisah's hands slid effortlessly around her, coming to rest lightly on her waist. Though she soon pulled out of the embrace and turned away to look at the floor, she didn't let go of Jacana as she frowned softly.

"Why did you do that?"

Jacana studied every inch of her in the half light of the apartment, reaching a hand up to her hair and smiling as her fingers lost themselves in a dark forest of silken strands, "Because you're magnificent. And intelligent. And strong. There's a quality in you, something that's driven you to survive where others would have surrendered. I'm not trying to trick you or use you, I just want to know who you are."

"Really?" Khalisah muttered, shaking her head grimly at what she clearly perceived to be a lie. Jacana refused to be swayed.

"Really," she took Khalisah's chin in her hand and tilted her head to look into the glistening green of her eyes, "you _are_ extraordinary. And if it takes me all night, Khalisah, I will make you believe it."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Jacana awoke in Khalisah's arms, listening to the soft, steady sound of her breathing as she slept. For a moment she blinked and frowned as she studied the outline of the woman lying next to her, her bare skin silhouetted by the light lancing in through the windows. Then the memories of last night flooded back to her.

It had taken all of the night and into the morning until Khalisah had finally become content enough to close her eyes and succumb to sleep. A deep, exhausted sleep where she drew shallow breaths through half parted lips, her cheeks still flushed from their night together.

Jacana was sure Khalisah had never really been loved before, not _really._ The human had trembled when she had first taken her into her arms, her body had tensed when she laid her on the bed and something, almost like fear, had glinted nervously in her eyes. Three times Jacana had asked her if she wanted to stop, always she had said no.

Throughout the night, with each gasp, each shudder, she had become more willing and then more giving until, in the early hours, it had been her who had rolled over, pulled Jacana against her and whispered: " _Again,_ " Jacana could still feel the heat of her breath on her neck.

Khalisah's skin was warm against her now and a chill touched her as she reluctantly pulled away to check the time. They had slept through most of the morning and into the afternoon and Jacana realised the twenty-four hours weren't long from being up.

She settled back down, nestling into the crook of Khalisah's neck so that she could smell the sweet scent of her skin and hear the sound of her heart beating through her chest. Khalisah's eyes flickered briefly but she didn't wake.

Jacana watched her as she slept, her hair had become tangled through the night and lay in disarray about her shoulders, somehow adding to its allure. She looked peaceful, content and Jacana could almost believe there wasn't a single burden on her shoulders.

If Quet came through for her with the encryption key, she could hand it over to the Broker without ever bringing Daniyah into it. The Bekenstein hierarchy would stop caring about Khalisah once the money was claimed, they would both be free. But what would Khalisah have gained? Less than she deserved, Jacana was sure of that.

An hour went by, and then a little more. Khalisah muttered things in her sleep and occasionally shifted and pulled Jacana closer but she continued to sleep soundly. The deadline drew ever nearer and soon Jacana realised it was time to decide.

She slid delicately out of Khalisah's grasp, pausing only to kiss her gently on the cheek, and then slipped into a dressing gown before silently leaving the room and closing the door behind her. The kitchen tiles were cold beneath her feet and she shivered as she walked over to the console and sat. She activated the communicator and waited.

"Quet? Are you there?"

The salarian's face appeared on the screen and it was obvious that he hadn't slept since their last conversation. Heavy bags hung under his eyes and he gazed at her wearily through dull black eyes.

"Well?" Jacana asked before he could speak, "Have you done it?"

There was a pause and a sigh, "I think so. I can't guarantee it'll work."

"I have complete faith in you, Quet."

"Oh? That'll be a real comfort when the Broker has us both killed for going behind his back."

"I'll take the blame, make sure he knows it was all my idea."

"Oh yes, because he's known for being so understanding when it comes to things like this," he sighed again and closed his eyes, placing two long fingers against his forehead, "I'm just a hacker, Jacana, I try to stay away from all this espionage stuff."

She smiled faintly, "That's like being a pickpocket who wants to stay away from theft."

He threw her a weary look but didn't argue, "I don't want to risk sending this to you over the system, I'll bring it to your apartment."

"Okay. Thanks Quet."

The transmission ended and Jacana frowned softly. Quet was right, the Shadow Broker wasn't likely to forgive this one. Still, there was no getting out of it now, she took a deep breath and turned to reactivate the comm, "Shadow Broker, this is Operative Menthe, I have an update for you."

There was a pause. A long pause.

"Shadow Broker?"

" _Yes,"_ the distorted voice answered abruptly, followed by another pause where it sounded like he was clearing his throat, _"Good evening, Operative Menthe."_

Jacana hesitated, unsure how to react, the Broker had never really been one for pleasantries before, "Erm, good evening?"

" _You say you have an update for me?"_

"Yes. I believe I may have found a way to decrypt Donovan Hock's finances."

" _Oh. Excellent."_

"I'm not going to give it to you."

Another pause, _"Ah. I see."_

"Khalisah's father has no right to her inheritance, neither do you; if you want a back door into Bekenstein then find another way to get it. You mishandled this assignment from the beginning, I should have been made aware of the full implications, I ended up putting people's lives in danger because I didn't know what I was dealing with; those lives might have been expendable to you but not to me and I will not stand by and watch Khalisah suffer as well, she deserves better than that. I am giving the encryption key to her because she is the only one I've encountered in this whole mess who I think will do some good with it; more than her father would and certainly more than you."

She ended her rant defiantly and folded her arms as she waited for whatever his response would be. Probably a hint of disappointment and an assassination order, she suspected, but what the hell, it wouldn't be the first time she'd had to go on the run. She wasn't going to compromise her own morals just to save her own neck.

The pause was agonising, just when she was beginning to wonder if he was going to bother responding at all, his soft monotone came back over the comm.

" _I understand."_

Jacana waited, then realised there was nothing else coming, "You- what?"

" _You are quite correct, Operative Menthe, this assignment was badly handled from the start. You have my word that things will change in the future. For now you must follow your conscience, your frankness does you credit. I look forward to working with you again. Shadow Broker out."_

Jacana sat back against her console as the transmission ended, opened her mouth, closed her mouth, blinked, and tried to work out what the hell had just happened.

* * *

Halfway across the galaxy, within the Shadow Broker's main command centre, Commander Shepard folded her arms and looked critically down at Liara seated next to her.

" _I understand?"_ she repeated sceptically.

The new Shadow Broker wrinkled her nose and looked round sheepishly, "Too polite?"

"Just a bit."

She frowned and nodded, "I'll keep working on it."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Quetzal's windowless room beneath the turian takeaway restaurant was lit mostly with the glow of technology. The controls and interfaces of a dozen different consoles and computers formed a neon rainbow of colours, many of them flashing in time with the symphony of bleeps and buzzes that filled the room.

At a cluttered desk in the corner, Quet tapped his fingers gently as he watched the encryption key transfer to a portable data disc.

"Let's hope this works," he muttered quietly to himself.

DNA encryption. If he'd known that from the start he might have cracked this weeks ago and avoided this whole mess. Still, there was no helping it now. As the transfer finished he slid the disc out of the console and sighed before turning to activate his comm. He waited for a moment until a smooth voice answered him.

"Quetzal."

"Good evening, Mister al-Jilani."

There was an ominous pause, through which Quet was sure he could hear the pursing of lips, "I was just about to contact you. I've just had a very unsettling chat with your Shadow Broker."

Quet swallowed, "Oh?" what the hell had Jacana done this time?

He had been in two minds about telling her of his success with the key and had decided that having her waiting at her apartment for him would at least keep her out of the way for a while. He had hoped she would have waited until she actually had the key before contacting the Broker, however.

"He has just cancelled my contract with him, without an explanation."

"Ah. That's… too bad."

"For you, yes. The only reason I contacted him in the first place was because _you_ suggested it after you failed to decrypt those finances. For weeks I have had my men following my daughter around, keeping the other families away from her while I waited for you to come through for me but word has been spreading quickly, more and more people are after that money, Quetzal, the situation is getting desperate. So, I am asking you, do you have anything for me?"

Quet looked down at the disc in his hand and felt a sudden sting of guilt. Jacana was the only reason he had managed to crack the encryption at all, betraying her now would be dishonest; betraying Khalisah's father would likely be fatal. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, "Yes. I have the encryption key. Not the original but it should work all the same."

"Excellent," there was no praise in his voice, no hint of surprise or recognition, "you'll have to bring it to me I'm afraid, now that the contract has been cancelled I find myself with some unfinished business to take care of. You know where to find me."

Without warning, the link severed and Quet was left staring at the console. He reached a hand towards it, half tempted to call Jacana again to… what? Tell her? Warn her? Explain? He knew none of it would make a difference so he dropped his hand, stood and made for the door.

* * *

Khalisah awoke alone. This should have been something she was used to yet for some reason it felt strange. She blinked and frowned, the dim light lancing in from the wards was unfamiliar and filled the room with shadows, making it momentarily hard to work out where she was.

A heavy scent hung in the air, vaguely masculine, like men's deodorant, mixed with something floral. She could smell it on the pillow and the bedsheets, in her hair and on her skin. Jacana's scent, she realised as she breathed it in deeply. She turned over and frowned at the empty space beside her, running a hand gently across the pillow.

The memories of last night were like distant dreams floating out of her grasp as she tried to pin them down and the more she remembered, the harder it was to believe. She didn't pretend to understand all of what had happened but somehow she had felt her own skin beneath Jacana's hands, seen colours through Jacana's eyes, felt asari thoughts weaving with her own.

She had seen things. Places she had never visited yet they seemed so familiar; memories of things she knew had never happened to her. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember but found the images distant and disjointed; concentrating on them made her head spin and eventually she let them slip away.

She sighed heavily and began to trace patterns across the pillowcase. She had no idea how this had happened. How the hell had she gone from questioning Jacana's motives to falling into her bed? And why wasn't she more worried about it? Why wasn't she suspicious of the asari's intentions? Paranoid it might all be some elaborate trap? Why wasn't she panicking and bolting for the exit?

A sharp click drew her back into the room and she looked up to see Jacana peering around the half-open door. The asari smiled when she saw Khalisah was awake, creasing the rose petal markings around her eyes. The sight of her briefly broke Khalisah's line of thought, and then a dozen more questions and doubts flooded into her mind.

"Morning," she muttered quietly, "well, evening actually but, you know what I mean."

Khalisah sat up, being sure to keep the bedsheets tucked tightly under her arms. It was a very deliberate manoeuvre and she could see that Jacana noticed as much; a flicker of disappointment briefly flashed through her peppermint eyes but Khalisah didn't care, letting the asari see her naked had been different last night while hidden under the covers with her. Everything had been different last night.

"Are you hungry?" Jacana asked.

"No," she replied quickly, not because she wasn't, she just didn't want Jacana to leave just yet, there was too much she was still trying to work out.

The asari seemed to understand and as her smile broadened, she stepped into the room. She was wearing a thin satin dressing gown which floated gently with her movements as she wandered to the bed and sat, curling her legs up beneath herself. The way she then arched her back and rested lightly on one elbow gave her an oddly feline quality, like a panther lounging in a tree.

She was still smiling, the expression so subtle and constant it was almost unsettling as she blinked and held Khalisah's gaze, clearly allowing her the chance to speak first. All Khalisah could do was stare at her, however, studying the details of her face as though seeing them for the first time and as she did, she felt a shiver run though her. Jacana suddenly looked _very_ alien.

The trouble with the asari was that they were so _nearly_ human in appearance that it made the small differences far more noticeable than the obvious ones. Pale green eyes open just slightly too wide, turquoise lips curled just a little too far into their smile, head tilted at the exact angle no human's would ever settle at. The more Khalisah stared at this bizarre creature the more she struggled to believe that Jacana was actually real; that any of this was real.

A sudden pang of doubt made her shudder and turn away, half laughing at herself as she rested her head in her hands, _Dear God, Khalisah. What the hell are you doing here?_

"Are you alright?"

Jacana's voice was enough to ground her back in reality and she looked up to see the smile was gone, replaced a concerned frown that Khalisah found far more reassuring, she was _definitely_ real.

"Yes. I'm fine. I'm… worried about Daniyah, about everything."

"I know," Jacana reached a hand up to Khalisah's bare back and as she felt the smooth touch of asari skin, a memory surfaced from the night before.

Jacana had been surprised to discover just how much of the human body was covered in fine, soft hairs, some barely visible until you touched them. She couldn't run her hand up Khalisah's arm without displacing hundreds of tiny follicles. When she had linked their senses, she had felt it the way Khalisah did and it had proved to be a sensation so alien to her that she had gasped with delight. This was something Khalisah had found utterly amusing and had eventually resulted in a fit of hysterical giggles from the pair of them that had lasted for at least ten minutes. It had somewhat ruined the sensual atmosphere Jacana had been building, of course, but it had certainly broken the ice.

The memory made her chuckle and drew a curious look from the asari as she continued to run her fingertips along Khalisah's shoulder blades, "What is it?"

"That tickles."

The smile returned and this time it was in no way unsettling, "I remember."

Khalisah laughed, why was she laughing? She had a dozen or more mercenary bands searching for her, nowhere to go, no escape plan and here she was naked in someone else's bed. This was _not_ something to laugh about!

And yet she couldn't stop herself, just like she couldn't make herself be suspicious of Jacana anymore. Something had changed within her, she could feel it. Whatever it was the asari had done, it had left her with a lingering sense of calm that she had never known before; a reassurance that everything would be alright. But she knew it couldn't last.

She let her face fall slightly as she held Jacana's gaze and smiled sadly, "I should go."

The impact was immediate, Jacana's expression dropped instantly from amusement to confusion as she frowned sharply, "Go? Go where?"

"I don't know. But I can't stay here; they'll track me down eventually and I won't drag you any further into this."

"You're not dragging me anywhere Khalisah, I _want_ to help."

" _No!"_ she heard the snap in her voice, the tone she used to cut through babbling politicians when they were evading her questions and was momentarily annoyed with herself for speaking to Jacana like that, but she wouldn't be swayed, "People are already dead because of me, I won't add your name to the list."

She saw the asari sigh, her alien eyes shimmering with… something, "It's not that simple. I've… committed myself to this now."

"Why? Because of last night? I'm not your responsibility Jacana, you don't owe me anything."

"It's not just that. I'm… involved, I have been from the start."

Khalisah frowned, "I don't understand."

She hesitated for a moment, seeming to steel herself before she shifted and crawled forwards across the bed, shuffling onto her knees so that they were face-to-face. Her musky scent filled Khalisah's nostrils and she felt momentarily giddy as Jacana's hands slipped beneath the covers and around her waist. She was self-consciously aware of the bedsheets falling away to reveal her body but Jacana wasn't looking anywhere but her eyes.

"Khalisah," she began as a hard frown settled on her forehead, "there's something I need to tell you."

The door to the apartment was kicked open, breaking the quiet with a chorus of shouts as a dozen armed men swarmed inside.

" _Find her!"_

" _Where is she?"_

" _In here!"_

The bedroom door crashed open and before either of them had a chance to tear their eyes from each other, a single shot was fired.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Jacana noticed the look of horror in Khalisah's eyes before she felt the searing pain in her own throat as she began choking on a thick liquid. Khalisah's arms were suddenly around her, holding her upright as she saw the human's skin was splattered with violet blood. For a moment she frowned, unable to connect the sight to the pain she was feeling until she coughed and more of the blood gushed from her mouth.

"Jacana!" Khalisah's voice was distant, scared and Jacana instinctively reached out a hand to try and comfort her but as she did, two arms grabbed Khalisah from behind and dragged her away with a squeal.

Without her support, Jacana fell forwards onto her hands, watching as her own blood covered the bedsheets. She could hear Khalisah's screams as someone wrestled her to the floor and tried desperately to call her name but the only sound she managed to produce was the gurgle of blood.

As the bed edged closer, the pain began to dull and her vision swam. Her head hit the sheets and everything went black.

* * *

" _Jacana…"_

The voice was a whisper, a gentle melody drifting to her on a breeze; familiar though she couldn't quite place why.

" _Jacana…"_

It filled her with the promise of protection and care but something else lurked beneath, resentment, hate. She despised this voice.

" _Wake up, Jacana…"_

She frowned and swallowed, wincing at the sudden, sharp sting it caused in her throat. Sore throat, why did she have a sore throat? She opened her eyes to a blur of colour that made her stomach churn and she groaned groggily, finding her voice dry and hoarse.

"Jacana," the voice was clearer now and as a face swam slowly into focus she thought she knew who was speaking.

"Father?" her question was barely more than a croak and as her vision cleared for a moment she almost thought… but no, it wasn't her father; of course it wasn't. Yet it was a face she associated with the word from the echoes of images that she had seen during her meld with Khalisah.

As the human man smiled, she could see Khalisah within him; the dark skin, the sharp features, the elegant jawline. Not the eyes though, these eyes were a watery, pale blue and unlike Khalisah's dazzling emeralds they held no fire, only cold scorn.

"There, that's better," he purred gently as she came round. She tilted her head to get a better look at him and found the skin at her neck was tight and restrictive; she tried to reach a hand up to it but discovered she couldn't move.

Looking down, she saw she was seated in a chair with metal restraints clasped around her wrists, ankles and torso. She was still in her dressing gown and briefly wondered why it was stained with blood, then in a flash the memories returned: the gunshot, the blood, the chaos. The fear in Khalisah's eyes.

A touch at her neck startled her and her eyes snapped back up to see Khalisah's father critically examining the wound. She could smell the stench of medi-gel and realised it must have been one hell of a patch job.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, my dear. My men did have orders to bring you in unharmed but it seems they got a little trigger happy. We've treated the wound as best we could for now."

His tone carried a strange amount of concern for someone who had her bound to a chair. Frowning oddly, she tested her voice with a cough and replied hoarsely: "I suppose you expect me to thank you?"

"Thank my daughter, I'm told she wouldn't stop screaming until they agreed to help you."

As he stepped aside, she saw Khalisah seated opposite her, several feet away and restrained in an identical chair. She was leaning forward as far as she could, concern glistening in her eyes as she met Jacana's gaze and the asari couldn't help but frown at the sight of her.

There were heavy bruises forming around her neck and her shoulders where she had been wrestled into the chair and her skin was still stained with Jacana's dried blood. It seemed no attempt had been made to spare her dignity and she was as naked as she had been when she was snatched, though she appeared wholly unfazed by it despite the dozen or so armed mercenaries who were lounging around the room, most of them making no attempt not to leer at her.

"Jacana? Are you okay?"

Jacana blinked and nodded, not wanting to strain her aching voice any more than she had to. She could taste the bitterness of the medi-gel that had seeped through the wound and realised it was unlikely to hold together without further treatment.

"You were unconscious all the way here and you'd lost so much blood, I thought…" she frowned as she trailed off and looked at the floor, apparently more uncomfortable with whatever she had thought than with anything else that was currently happening.

There was only one word of what she had said that Jacana was currently concerned with, however: 'here'. Where the hell were they? As she looked about she saw the room was windowless and mostly bare of furniture though the mercenaries made it feel cluttered as they hung around in groups, rifles slung over their shoulders as they muttered and joked to one another.

They must have still been in the wards, Jacana reasoned; surely a group of mercenaries couldn't have carried an unconscious asari and a naked human very far before they would be noticed.

Why would Khalisah's father have a hideout so close to her apartment? Did he know she was the agent assigned to his task? Had he known where Khalisah was all the time Jacana had been hiding her? And if so then why change his tactic now? She could only assume her conversation with the Shadow Broker had something to do with it.

"Why don't you just let her go?" Khalisah's voice suddenly became harsh, tinged with anger as her eyes flashed at her father, "She has _nothing_ to do with this!"

He chuckled at that, leather-like skin contorting into folds around his gaunt cheeks. He was tall but painfully thin and the expensive suit he was wearing had very little to cling to as it hung from him gracefully. As he continued to smile he looked directly at Jacana with such a twinkle in his eye that she instantly realised he knew exactly who she was.

"I'm curious to find out exactly who could manage to sweet talk my daughter into bed when there is so much currently at stake."

Khalisah shifted uncomfortably as the mercs surrounding her began to laugh, their eyes never wandering far from her exposed body. Jacana wasn't buying it; there was no chance he could have known about her and Khalisah until his men had burst in and found them in the same bed together.

"You knew she was there all along, didn't you? Why wait until now for this?"

He looked at her sharply and then smiled, "Why don't you ask your employer about that? He's the one who cancelled my contract."

"What?" Khalisah's voice sent shivers through Jacana as the human looked at her, frowning softly, "What's he talking about? What contract?"

"Oh come now, Khalisah," he chuckled before Jacana could answer, moving up to his daughter and looking down on her pitifully, "did you really think I was just going to sit back and wait for one of the other families to torture the encryption key out of you? That I wouldn't find some subtler method of getting what I needed? Do you think her turning up when she did was just a coincidence? That she'd want you in her bed for any reason beyond learning what you know? She's an agent for the Shadow Broker Khalisah! She's been using you from the start!"

"The Shadow Broker?"

Jacana watched Khalisah's reaction carefully; she expected anger, waited for the glittering fury in her eyes but instead all she got was a curious frown, head tilted slightly as though she were seeing her for the first time.

"I was about to tell you," she heard herself blurt out, "before the mercs came in, you remember?"

Still there was no response. Jacana could see her running through everything in her mind; from their first meeting to Barla Von to Sha'ira's, piecing together every bit of the puzzle. She had told Jacana about Daniyah and yet Jacana hadn't betrayed her, surely she would realise…

"Oh, Khalisah," her father purred gently, trailing a finger carelessly along her jawline, "didn't I teach you never to trust anyone?"

Khalisah moved her head slightly, away from his touch, "You hired the Shadow Broker?"

"I needed someone who would get the job done."

"Then why did he cancel the contract?" she was looking at Jacana as she said it, something gleaming in her eyes that the asari couldn't quite read.

"Because I told him to," she replied quietly, watching cautiously as the smallest smile graced Khalisah's lips.

"Probably the single most stupid mistake of your life asari," her father sneered, "however many centuries that may be."

Khalisah's face fell sharply as she looked up at him, "This is a waste of your time father; I don't have the encryption key."

"Oh don't worry about that, darling, it's been taken care of."

"What? …How?"

"Nothing for you to trouble yourself with, my dear."

Jacana frowned, equally curious; more than anything, if he already had the key…

"Then why bring us here?" Khalisah voiced her question for her and merely got a smirk in response.

"All in good time."

"I am not in the mood for your games father!" she suddenly snapped, eyes flaring with the familiar rage Jacana was used to seeing from her, "Why are you even on the Citadel? How long have you been here?"

"A while," was all he offered, "I thought it necessary to keep a closer eye on you considering the circumstances. And as for my _'games'_ …" he suddenly moved in front of her, blocking her from Jacana's view as he leaned forward on the arms of her chair, "that seems rather rich coming from you. Do you have _any_ idea how much is resting on this inheritance? Donovan controlled the balance of power across all of Bekenstein. The void that his death has left is enough to destroy the whole hierarchy if the right person doesn't take control of that money. While you are busy running around here thinking yourself too good to get involved, Bekenstein society is on the verge of collapse!"

"Good!" Khalisah spat, "It's the least you deserve!"

Her father hit her with a backhanded slap so hard that she yelped and Jacana instinctively lurched forwards, struggling against her restraints as she was overpowered by the sudden urge to rip his throat out.

It was a human impulse, she realised with mild surprise. Like the sudden, unpredictable rushes of emotion she had felt during her meld with Khalisah. The remnants of that meld still echoed in her mind now, it was unusual; throughout most of the night she had kept things quite superficial: linking their bodies and their senses but not their minds.

As the night had gone on she had eventually gone deeper and caught flashes of Khalisah's thoughts but it had only been a fleeting glimpse, surely not enough to leave such an impression? The emotions _had_ been intense though, more so than any species she had melded with before.

What she had discovered within Khalisah's mind had been an ocean of turmoil; conflicting thoughts and opinions, emotions building suddenly in waves only to be swept away and replaced without warning. It had been overwhelming to say the least but also strangely enticing.

Khalisah's voice drew her attention again and she looked up as she felt the anger begin to fade, "Is that why you brought me here?" the human was demanding, "To punish me for inconveniencing you?"

"Nothing so petty, my dear. I assure you."

He smirked and moved away, still refusing to give her an answer and her and Jacana's eyes locked. Jacana tried to read her face, there was something bubbling beneath those eyes, making them glimmer and dance but she couldn't tell what. Anger? Amusement? Fear?

Whatever it was it unsettled her, Khalisah seemed more of a mystery now than she ever had before.

A knock at the door made every merc in the room jump and reach for a gun though Khalisah's father merely chuckled and waved them down.

"Someone answer that."

Two of the mercs obliged and Jacana froze as an all too familiar voice drifted in from outside.

"Hello, I've- oh dear," Quetzal's voice was abruptly cut off as the salarian was grabbed roughly by the neck and hauled inside. He blinked for a moment as his gaze fell first on the armed men, then on the two woman bound to chairs, one naked and one in a blood soaked dressing gown, "Jacana?" he sounded slightly alarmed, staring at her with as much surprise as she felt, until he suddenly fidgeted and turned away, "Uh-hu. Well, I can see you boys are busy, I'll just come back lat- AH!" a rifle butt hit him in the back of the head and he winced, "Ow. Okay."

"Who the hell are you?" one of the mercs asked, raising a pistol and levelling it right between Quet's eyes. In an almost comical moment, the salarian actually went cross-eyed.

"Me? No one! Certainly no one important. Bad memory too, I often forget what's been going on in a room the moment I leave it."

Khalisah's father laughed, "Stand down. Quetzal is a guest here."

" _A guest?"_ Jacana demanded, feeling the anger rise again as every possible explanation for this flashed through her mind faster than she could interpret them. She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath.

 _Calm down._

The salarian cast her a nervous glance as Khalisah's father stepped up to him, placing both hands on his narrow shoulders and casually brushing down Quet's sleeves, "Do you have it?"

Quet audibly swallowed before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a data disc. In an irrational rush Jacana briefly thought it might have been the disc Khalisah had given her with Daniyah's location on it. But she had locked that well away in a secret safe in her apartment and as her thoughts steadied she realised what it must be.

"Will it work?" Khalisah's father was asking as he turning the disc over in his hands.

Quet nodded hurriedly, "Y- yes, I think so."

"Hm… you've been working on this for weeks Quetzal, what prompted the sudden breakthrough?"

"Ah… erm…" he started ringing his hands together, long fingers locking and intertwining as he continued to glance feverishly at Jacana, "I found out the finances were DNA encrypted."

"DNA?" Khalisah's father paused, frowning oddly before he glanced back at his daughter, " _Your_ DNA?"

Khalisah didn't respond; the colour had drained from her cheeks and her mouth was half open as she seemed to try and think of a suitable lie that he might believe. In the end Quet answered for her.

"A- a human girl, sir. Jacana brought me a strand of hair from her mother," he blurted the last sentence out hurriedly and seemed to brace himself for some sort of fallout.

Jacana ignored him completely, keeping her eyes fixed nervously on Khalisah and as the human turned to meet her gaze, she felt her blood run cold. There was no anger, none of the familiar fire, just ice cold accusation and the slightest shake of her head.

"Her mother?" her father was frowning as he pieced it together and then he laughed softly, "Daniyah… Of course, I should have realised," he watched his daughter closely for a minute and then, in a flash he pointed at Quet, "tie him up."

"Wait! What?" Quetzal exclaimed as two of the mercs grabbed him. A second chair was thrown down next to Jacana and the salarian was wrestled into it, metal restraints locking him firmly in place.

"You're both agents for the Shadow Broker," Khalisah's father explained casually, "I don't trust either of you."

"You don't trust anyone," Khalisah muttered.

"And with good reason, wouldn't you say? After all, my own daughter is hiding my grandchild from me! At least now I know why you took her from Bekenstein."

Khalisah's eyes widened with rage, a rage Jacana now fully understood as she felt the echoes of it prickling in her own mind.

 _Calm down._

"You think that's why I took her? I am not like you father! Money isn't the only thing I care about!"

"You make me sound so shallow. I am trying to secure the future of Bekenstein!"

"You are trying to seize power for yourself!"

As the argument continued, Jacana became aware of Quet seated next to her; the salarian was breathing rapidly, a sheen of sweat across his skin as he fidgeted as much as the restraints would allow.

"Playing with fire, aren't you Quetzal?" she mused casually, keeping her voice low enough not to draw attention from the many armed men in the room.

He looked at her sharply, "I don't know what you mean."

"Really? Moonlighting as a hacker? The Broker won't approve."

"Oh yeah? Any more than he'd approve of you telling him to cancel a contract? Are we on his hit list yet?"

"Actually, he was surprisingly understanding about the whole thing."

"Oh good," he mused grimly, his eyes lingering on Khalisah's father, "Do you suppose he'll be understanding?"

"Why ask me? He's your employer."

"Oh lay off, Jacana! I needed the money! Have you ever tried living of the Broker's wages?"

"Believe it or not, _yes!_ " she hissed sharply, stinging her throat so badly she winced and immediately closed her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

 _Calm down._

She should have been more understanding. Being an agent for the Shadow Broker was a varied, challenging and, occasionally, even an exciting occupation, but it was not particularly lucrative. The Broker didn't want his people earning their fortunes and then quitting so he paid them just enough to live on and just too little for them ever to be able to leave. Quet was not the first one to fall foul of this.

"You could have done anything with your life Quet; had your own computing company, invented your own software. If you'd used your skills professionally you might even have landed a job with C-Sec but instead you chose this."

Quet shifted softly in his seat, "I don't need the lecture, Jacana."

"Where is she!" the voice of Khalisah's father broke their hushed argument and they looked up to see him standing over his daughter.

"You'll never find her! You've got your encryption key, what does it matter?"

"She's my granddaughter! I'm tired of you keeping her from me, why do you think I brought you here?"

As he moved slightly to the side, Jacana noticed Quet craning his head to peer curiously at Khalisah, "So, that's her is it?"

"Yes. Don't stare."

"Hm, I've never seen one without their clothes on before."

"I said don't stare."

"Urgh, all flesh these humans, aren't they?"

" _Quet!"_

He turned to look at her oddly, "Why's she naked?" his eyes then fell on her own flimsy attire, "And why are you…? Oh," Jacana closed her eyes as he began to chuckle, "not the only one playing with fire, am I? After a century of loyal service, you betray the Shadow Broker for a girl!"

"Shut up."

"What did you think was going to happen? You'd heroically save her from her father and then whisk her off into the sunset? Cook her candlelit dinners and take her dancing on the Presidium?"

"Don't be ridiculous Quetzal, I am not a love-struck child! …And I can't dance."

"Really? I thought all asari could dance; all that natural grace and elegance."

"Yes, well, this particular asari happens to have the grace and elegance of a drunk krogan, particularly on the dancefloor."

As Quet chuckled and fell silent, Jacana's eyes lingered on Khalisah. What _had_ she thought was going to happen?

She understood what is was that young asari saw in human women; they had curves in all the right places, the general anatomy of the two species was so similar it was only logical they should find it attractive. Factor in the different skin colours and the addition of hair and most asari saw them as a more exotic version of themselves, which seemed to be exactly how they were viewed in return.

But Jacana was not some young maiden looking for excitement, the thought of sex with exotic aliens didn't make her heart flutter or her mind race. She certainly hadn't looked at Khalisah and seen the chance for a conquest or a secret fantasy made real.

All she had wanted to do was protect her, show her the trust and the safety she had never known, prove to her that the galaxy was not the cold, ruthless place she thought it was. Looking at her now: naked, bound and covered in blood, she realised she probably wasn't doing a very good job.

"This Daniyah they're talking about," Quet suddenly piped up as Khalisah's father continued to demand her location, "is she the one in the private school? Because I could just tell-

"You will keep your fucking mouth shut or I will rip your tongue out!"

The words snapped from her mouth before she could catch them and her tone had Quet staring at her in alarm.

"Alright! Calm down!"

 _Calm down!_ She echoed his advice inside her own head as she attempted to get a hold of herself. Shaking Khalisah's feelings from her mind was proving difficult and the current situation probably wasn't helping.

"We need to get out of here."

"Oh? You think so?" Quet mused dryly, "I suppose you have a plan?"

"Of course," when she failed to elaborate she saw the salarian turn to look at her expectantly.

"Well?"

"Simple. We break these restraints, grab a gun and fight our way out."

"That easy huh? How are you planning to accomplish step one?"

"I'm still working on that."

He sighed heavily and looked around, fidgeting and wriggling as much as the restraints would allow, "Can't you use your biotics or something?"

Jacana winced, "Yeah… biotics have never really been my strong point."

" _What?_ You're an asari! Every asari has biotics!"

"Everyone has a pair of legs it doesn't make us all medal winning sprinters! Just because I can knock a table over or throw a vase across the room it doesn't mean I can warp metal."

"Well couldn't you give it a go anyway?"

"I'm trying!"

"My patience is wearing thin, Khalisah," Jacana looked up to see Khalisah's father pacing up and down in front of her, "if you don't tell me where she is of your own accord, we may need to… _persuade_ you."

He looked towards one of his men who promptly pulled a combat knife from his belt, letting the serrated edge of the blade glint in the light. Jacana shifted uncomfortably as she watched the blood drain from Khalisah's face; as much as she was trying not to show it, Jacana could see the fear in her eyes.

"You would condone torture on your own daughter?" Khalisah asked, barely disguising the quiver in her voice as the mercenary stepped towards her.

"If necessary."

"You can't touch me, father! I have records of all your activities, every dodgy deal, every death that can be linked to you. They're all stored with a VI that's been programmed to broadcast them to the galaxy the moment my vital signs start to weaken!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Khalisah. Just loosen your tongue enough to tell me where Daniyah is, actually you can tell me where the VI is stored as well, I'm tired of being held to ransom by you."

" _You're_ tired of it!" fury flashed in Khalisah's eyes but as the mercenary with the knife began to circle her, Jacana could see her resolve was weakening, each threat now producing more fear than anger.

"Urgh, I despise violence," Quet muttered, turning his head away as much as the restraints would allow, "how are you doing?"

Jacana grimaced at the question. She was trying desperately to focus on the lessons her mother had given her when she was younger but even back then her attempts at creating stable mass effect fields had been pitiful and the current turmoil of her thoughts was not making it any easier, "I'm still trying."

"Focus on my wrists, these locks are electronically sealed, if I can access my omni-tool I should be able to hack them open."

She did as he said but still got no nearer a result. A kind of desperation began to build inside her. It was another human impulse, sudden and sharp, stronger than any asari equivalent; she tried to control it but found she had no idea how and it only built further.

"Quet, I can't do it."

"Well you're going to have to do something, if this is how the lunatic treats his own daughter I dread to think what he's going to do with us!"

A strangled cry drew her attention back to Khalisah and she saw the merc was on top of her, straddling her on the chair as he held the knife at her throat.

"What should we start with?" he taunted callously, his hand tightening around her neck, "A finger? A toe? How about we cut off one finger every time you refuse to answer?"

" _No,"_ Khalisah sobbed helplessly, choking under his grip, " _father!_ _Please!"_

Her father had his back to her, casually adjusting the cufflinks at his wrists as he ignored her cries.

"Maybe an ear first, just to start with," the merc suggested, tracing the blade up her cheek as she finally dissolved into tears.

"I can make all this stop, Khalisah," her father's voice cut in smoothly, no trace of emotion within it, "just tell me where Daniyah is."

Jacana watched Khalisah steel herself, choking back the sobs as her despair turned to a snarl and she cast her father a bitter glare, _"Never!"_

"Have it your way."

Khalisah screamed as the blade dug into her flesh, Jacana watched the thick crimson blood spill down her cheek and suddenly the desperation was gone, wiped away in an instant and replaced with boiling rage.

The emotion was twice as strong and impossible to conceal and before she had time to think, the mass effect field she had been attempting to generate expanded beyond her control, metal twisted and warped, snapping like plastic as a biotic explosion shook the room. Quet was knocked sideways and at least half of the mercs were thrown to the ground as Jacana broke free of the restraints and leapt to her feet, fury gleaming in her eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Biotic energy rippled across Jacana's skin, powerful and untamed. The merc straddling Khalisah was dead, face contorted in horror as his neck lay twisted and broken. Both Quet and Khalisah's restraints had snapped and they were on their feet, scrabbling away from the carnage Jacana had wrought.

Bodies lay warped beyond recognition, limbs shattered or crushed. Some had died instantly while others could still be heard whimpering and wailing. Those capable of standing were staggering to their feet, dazed and disoriented as they reached for their weapons but Jacana ignored them, eyes fixed firmly on Khalisah's father.

He was standing ahead of her, hands outstretched as he carefully stared her down, "Now, now, let's all stay calm," he was managing to keep his voice steady as he smiled softly, but Jacana could see the pulse in his neck racing, "I didn't know you had it in you, my dear."

"You have no right," Jacana snarled, hearing the words as though they were coming from someone else's mouth, "no right to control Khalisah's life, to threaten her daughter, she deserves so much better!"

His watery eyes narrowed into an incredulous frown as she advanced on him, biotics radiating through every nerve, "My, my; she's really had quite the effect on you, hasn't she? You wouldn't be the first person she's dragged into her problems, you know. Robin used to be such a sweet boy, whole life ahead of him; do you know where he is now? Being tortured by the mercenaries who stormed Sha'ira's; they think he knows where Khalisah went after the pair of you escaped."

She heard a gasp and a stifled sob from Khalisah's direction but didn't look away.

"That's what she does Jacana, draws people in, uses them as scapegoats and lets them bear the consequences of her actions. She took Donovan's daughter, _my_ granddaughter and now look at what she's done to you; betraying the Shadow Broker, getting mixed up in things that are really none of your concern. Is she really worth it, Jacana?"

Jacana felt the rage prickling in her skin as every nerve flared with a power she hadn't known she possessed. He could see it too; she saw her own glowing reflection glinting feverishly in his eyes before he suddenly glanced over her shoulder.

" _Now!"_

Somehow she felt the shift in the air more than she heard the explosion of bullets as all the mercs left standing opened fire. She turned and dived to the floor and in a moment of pure, blind instinct she expelled all the power she had been building; a biotic shockwave tore through her attackers and sent them flying.

Bodies hit the walls with crushing force and the sound of crunching bones was drowned out only by the screams; she turned to see Khalisah's father on the floor, thrown there by a second wave she didn't even remember generating.

The fear wasn't masked at all now, dancing in his eyes as she advanced on him, held in place by a constant wave of energy radiating from her. She could feel thirty-five years of anger welling inside her, not hers but it didn't matter, she could end it all now; crush his throat, snap his bones, squeeze the life from him, all it needed was the will to do it and Khalisah would be free.

"STOP!"

Khalisah's voice broke through the anger and Jacana stopped dead, realising suddenly how loud her breathing had become as the room fell quiet.

She turned to see the human pressed up against the back wall, blood still dripping from the single cut the mercenary had managed to inflict as her eyes glazed in horror at what she was seeing.

In a split second it was gone. The burning rage, the need for revenge all wiped away by the sight of her.

"Khalisah," she felt the biotic power ebb away as she moved towards her, "Khalisah, it's alright," the human was shaking, her breathing rapid and unsteady as she pressed herself harder against the wall as though trying to get away. As she got closer she saw the look in Khalisah's eyes and it made her heart drop.

Fear. Pure, unrelenting terror.

As Jacana raised a hand she instinctively flinched from her touch.

"Khalisah… I'm sorry, I…" she looked behind her to the carnage, human bodies twisted and disfigured so severely it made her feel sick and she had to turn away, "I… I didn't expect... I just…"

" _NO!"_

Khalisah's scream was ear-splitting as Jacana suddenly felt herself being grabbed and pulled aside. The pair of them tumbled to the floor together as a bullet ricocheted off the wall where they had just been standing and Jacana twisted herself onto her back to see Khalisah's father advancing on them, pistol raised in his hand.

"Go!" Jacana pushed Khalisah out of the way, knowing he wouldn't kill her and risk never finding Daniyah. Khalisah staggered to her feet and Jacana began to shuffle backwards along the floor, staring down the barrel of the gun now aimed at her.

"You could have stayed out of this you know," Khalisah's father was saying as advanced.

"Father, don't," Khalisah pleaded from somewhere beyond Jacana's view but he ignored her.

"If you had just done what you were being paid to do then all this would be over."

" _Father!"_

"But you had to interfere, had to let my daughter get inside your head!"

Jacana swallowed, briefly wondering if he had any idea how literally true that was; then her shoulders hit the wall and she realised she had run out of places to go.

It was all gone: the anger, the biotic power that had flared from nowhere and she was left like this; sprawled on floor with no gun and only a bloodstained dressing gown for protection.

 _Oh, this was really not how I wanted to go out…_

"Father! Stop this!"

"She can't protect you Khalisah," he mused softly, eyes never leaving Jacana's, "you're mine. Daniyah is mine and neither of you are getting away from me again."

The gunshot cracked like a whip through the air and Jacana jumped, recoiling instinctivelyand closing her eyes.

To her great surprise she felt no pain. She waited briefly before opening her eyes and frowned for a moment as she saw Khalisah's father still standing there, staring at her blankly. Then the large red dot that had appeared on his forehead began oozing crimson blood and he fell sideways to reveal Khalisah standing behind him, one of the mercs' guns still raised were she had pressed it to the back of his skull.

Jacana blinked and stared as Khalisah's eyes remained fixed on her father, seemingly paralysed.

"Khalisah?" she said after a moment but the human didn't seem to hear her. Jacana carefully got to her feet and moved swiftly out of the line of fire to come up beside her.

"Khalisah?" still there was no response.

Then, with her eyes fixed on her father, Khalisah swallowed calmly, "Guns," was all she managed to mutter, her voice barely audible.

Jacana frowned softly, "What?"

"Thugs with guns."

With that, her knees suddenly buckled, the pistol dropped from her hand and she fell sideways into Jacana's arms. 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Khalisah sat on Jacana's bed, wrapped up in blankets as Jacana tended to the single cut above her ear. She couldn't even remember getting back to the apartment, everything had become a blur after she had shot her father.

It was the first time she had ever even held a gun, felt the balance of life and death resting on a single pull of the trigger, hearing her father's words cutting into her and watching all the power he had held ebbing away as the shot fired.

"It was easier than I expected," she muttered softly, only vaguely aware that she was voicing her thoughts as Jacana paused to look at her.

"What?"

She met the asari's eye, "Killing."

Jacana swallowed, "Yes," without another word she went back to her work though Khalisah was now watching her carefully.

The revelation that she was an agent of the Shadow Broker had not surprised Khalisah as much as she had let on, in fact, after the initial anger had faded, the news had almost come as a relief. At least now she wasn't wondering about Jacana's motives, everything made sense. Well… almost everything.

"Did you really go against the Shadow Broker just to help me?"

Jacana hesitated before answering, her attention still fixed on the wound which Khalisah was sure she had been cleaning for far longer than necessary, "Yes."

"Why? I gave you everything you needed, I told you about Daniyah and how to find her, you could have just handed her over."

Jacana still wasn't looking at her but her brow had hardened into a frown as she began applying medi-gel to the skin, "I'm not a mindless drone, Khalisah, I do have principles. I wasn't about to hand a child over."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Why? Is it not good enough?"

"I don't think it's enough to make you go to all this trouble," Jacana didn't respond and once the wound had been treated she began tucking Khalisah's hair back behind her ear as a further way of avoiding eye contact.

"Why did you sleep with me?" Khalisah asked eventually.

"Curiosity."

The answer came instantly from Jacana's mouth, without thought or consideration and Khalisah recoiled a little, prompting the asari to finally look at her.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "that didn't sound very flattering did it?"

Khalisah's eyes narrowed, "I think I'll need you to elaborate."

The asari nodded and stood briefly to sit next to her on the bed, flicking her fingers together absently as she prepared to speak, "I was born on Rannoch."

The statement took Khalisah off guard, the abrupt change in topic seemed strange and momentarily distracted her from what Jacana had actually said. When her words did register they only confused her more.

"Rannoch? The quarian home world?"

She smiled almost nostalgically as she nodded, "My father was quarian. When he died my mother and I stayed, we lived rurally, I think we were the only two asari for a thousand miles but it was home. Then the war with the geth broke out," she paused, grimacing slightly, "it… didn't happen the way people think. Anyway, my mother was killed and our town was destroyed, I managed to get onto an escape shuttle and it brought me here. All anyone could talk about was the war, how the geth were monsters and the quarians were fools who had been meddling with illegal AI experiments. None of it was accurate, I felt I had to tell everyone the truth."

"So you became a journalist."

"I tried. But no matter how loud I shouted I couldn't make anyone listen. The quarians lost Rannoch and became outcasts in the galaxy and I couldn't help them. The decades went on and eventually everyone just… lost interest."

"You gave up?"

She cocked her head curiously at Khalisah's tone, her pale peppermint eyes shimmering calmly as she held her gaze, "Yes. I gave up. It became obvious that I couldn't make my voice heard no matter what I was saying so I moved to the shadows, undercover work and I kidded myself that I was doing good. When the Shadow Broker came along and made me an offer I saw it as a way to make a difference, but the truth is I'm just a pawn in the games he plays."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she smiled softly as she looked up, "You're different. I've seen the interviews you do, Khalisah, the way you manipulate whoever you're talking to, dragging the exact response you want from them, making your viewers hear and think what you want them to think. Even Commander Shepard considered you enough of a threat to have to publically humiliate you."

"Oh, I knew it!" Khalisah suddenly forgot all else that had happened as she shoved Jacana half-angrily and half-playfully, "I _knew_ you didn't really think I'd done it deliberately."

The asari chuckled, "What I'm trying to say is that you have what I never did, the ability to make people listen, even if they don't want to; you would just keep shouting until they heard you. I wanted to know what gives you that quality."

"Did you find out?"

She paused, "You saw what I became capable of."

Khalisah didn't miss the note in her voice, just as she hadn't missed the horror in the asari's eyes when she had witnessed the injuries she had inflicted to those mercs, none of whom had survived.

She reached suddenly for Jacana's hand, grasping it firmly in her own. The move was a little too abrupt to really be affectionate and she cleared her throat awkwardly as Jacana frowned down at the gesture, "You did what you had to."

"Mm," she muttered after a moment, then nodded softly, "so did you."

Khalisah withdrew her hand sharply, frowning at the bizarreness of the whole situation. Her father was dead, Robin was being tortured somewhere because of her and she still had merc bands scouring the streets in search of her. She felt a sudden kind of helplessness descend on her.

"What do we do now?" more to herself than Jacana, after all, she wasn't even sure there was a 'we'.

"Quet! You still out there?" Jacana's voice made her jump slightly and she looked towards the door as it opened a crack and two salarian eyes appeared around the frame, blinking uncertainly like he was afraid of disturbing them.

Quetzal had followed them back from the warehouse, staying mostly quiet all the way and keeping his eyes on the floor. Khalisah had almost forgotten he was still lingering outside the room.

"You have the disc?" Jacana asked expectantly, holding out her hand as if she already anticipated the answer.

"Disc?" he blinked, "Oh! Yes! The disc, of course," he fished around in his pockets for a moment and pulled out the small data disc which he then handed to Jacana. She in turn pressed it into Khalisah's palm.

"Claim the money," she said bluntly, it sounded almost like an order, "you'll have the power to stop it all, change Bekenstein for the better, or give it away. The choice is yours."

Khalisah eyed it suspiciously for a moment, and then looked up at Quet. She didn't know quite what to make of the salarian, she didn't trust him though that didn't mean she considered him a threat. She had a feeling his betraying the Broker was down to lack of sense rather than deliberate scheming.

"Will it work?" she asked him.

"Er, yep… I think so."

She paused for a moment and then narrowed her eyes at him very deliberately, "And you were really working for my father?"

"Erm… ha," he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "not anymore, apparently."

"And you made this, from a single strand of my hair?"

"Oh yeah," his mood suddenly gave way to enthusiasm and he stepped further into the room, "wasn't easy I can tell you, I had to create a whole new-

"QUET!"

"I'll wait outside."

At Jacana's voice he quickly turned and left, leaving Khalisah smiling at Jacana curiously.

"I can't believe you took my hair to a hacker."

She cleared her throat and shifted a little uncomfortably on the bed, "It seemed like the only way, and I didn't know about his… other work," she clenched her jaw as she said it, turning away to shake her head, "idiot."

Her apparent anger didn't hide her obvious concern, she clearly had a soft spot for the eccentric salarian which Khalisah thought was oddly endearing, "Will he get into trouble, with the Broker."

"I… don't know. I have a feeling the Broker's methods might have changed somewhat recently but I'll try to protect him if he needs it. Anyway, let me worry about that, what are _you_ going to do?" she nodded down at the data disc in Khalisah's hand and Khalisah sighed. She had no idea.

She knew she was holding Donovan's entire fortune in her hands and without it she couldn't see how she was ever going to protect herself or Daniyah, but she had spent most of her life trying to get away from Bekenstein, if she claimed the money she would be tied to it forever. She didn't know that she wanted the responsibility of cleaning up the mess it was in.

"There's a lot of power here," she mused, tapping the disc thoughtfully, "what makes you think I can keep control of it all?"

"Hm," a small laugh escaped Jacana's lips, "Khalisah, the slightest echo of your thoughts at the back of my head managed to summon the most powerful biotic attack I have ever produced in my life – and that's quite a long time. I think you can do just about anything you put your mind to."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

It was with the help of several Shadow Broker agents that Khalisah reached Bekenstein unscathed, Quet's key worked as well as he said it would and with the decryption of Donovan's finances Khalisah became one of the wealthiest humans alive. Within a week she had given half of it away.

The first thing she did was to pay all the rent she had missed, much to the surprise of the landlord she had been blackmailing, who still seemed to think it was some kind of trick. A sizable sum had gone to the Alliance to help them restore the ships they had lost at the battle of the Citadel. Several charities had benefitted, as well as schools and any other enterprise that had peaked her interest. All done anonymously of course, she didn't want the whole galaxy knowing she had inherited Donovan Hock's fortune, in fact she went to extreme lengths to ensure her identity remained firmly hidden. Not that she could stop the rumours that were flying around Bekenstein.

Her father's death had caused quite a stir and now the rich families were starting to find their power becoming more and more restricted by laws they had never had to adhere to before. Khalisah made sure it was subtle and everything was done through contacts and third parties. As far as the galaxy was concerned, she was still just a news reporter.

It was during the busiest weeks of the transition that the dreams started. It began with an asari, turquoise-skinned with markings almost like Jacana's and eyes of the same peppermint green. She stood in a kitchen by a window overlooking a windswept coastline; she talked and laughed, sometimes she would even sing. Then the geth came and soon the kitchen was burning and the asari was screaming as she died.

Chaos ensued, quarians and geth battling each other, homes and towns being destroyed until Khalisah would awake with Jacana's memoires still playing through her mind. Each time she would see a little more and understand it just a little better until it seemed she had pieced together the whole story.

She didn't see Jacana for months but she was never far from Khalisah's thoughts and when the dreams finally exhausted themselves and Khalisah made plans to visit Daniyah, she knew she had to see the asari again before she left.

* * *

Jacana leaned forward against the railing of the docking port, clad in her usual black leather as she absently watched a group of quarians disembarking from a turian freighter. They were probably on pilgrimage, she suspected, and about to discover how the galaxy really viewed them, that all the stories they were told on the migrant fleet didn't even come close to the kind of indignities they'd have to lower themselves to just to survive.

She sighed grimly and looked away. It had been a strange few months. The Shadow Broker's priorities had taken and interesting shift, rather than spending her time doing his dirty work in various 'business' schemes, she had been sent to infiltrate Council records on the geth attack two years ago, specifically regarding the geth flagship, Sovereign. She had also 'acquired' several prothean artefacts and subtly aided in the ferrying of certain supplies to the Alliance and various other organisations.

Why any of these things were important to the Broker she didn't know nor did she much care. All she did know was that her pay had been increased and she hadn't been asked to murder anyone. She suspected there had probably been a few changes at Shadow Broker HQ that she would never find out the details of, and that suited her just fine.

She had also kept as close an eye as she could on Khalisah's progress, not that the human had made it easy. As well as Donovan's money, she had inherited his resources: mercs, agents, spies. She was using them to cover her tracks and doing an exceptionally good job at it too. Jacana had decided against making direct contact with her, partly for Khalisah's own safety and partly because… well, what would she say?

She had no idea if what they had been through together was a conventional basis for a friendship, it was entirely possible Khalisah wanted to forget the whole thing. Then out of nowhere she had received a simple, short message:

 _I want to see you. Meet me at docking bay D18, my ship leaves at noon. Khalisah._

The 'ship' in question was a passenger liner headed for Earth, Jacana had checked thoroughly that the message wasn't some kind of trap from someone wanting revenge and during her digging she had discovered that Khalisah hadn't booked a return journey.

She didn't know why that had made her heart drop, or why she had spent the entire morning convincing herself that didn't mean Khalisah wasn't coming back.

The brisk sound of heels on the metal floor drew Jacana from her thoughts and she smiled a little as a familiar scent touched the air; she turned and saw Khalisah striding confidently towards her. Her hair had grown a little since they had last seen each other, hanging past her shoulders in dark coils and she was dressed in green to match the gleam of her eyes. Her face split into a broad smile as she crossed the docking port.

"Well, well," Jacana said as she approached, "if it isn't the richest woman on the Citadel."

Her emerald eyes widened a little as she made a point of glancing around in case there was anyone nearby who might have heard, "Hardly. I've got an apartment I'm actually paying for, clothes I actually bought and a whole cabinet of beauty products that I didn't have to smuggle out of the shop in my knickers, that's enough for me."

Jacana chuckled lightly "Quite a fancy apartment though, or so I hear."

"Modest," Khalisah corrected with a wry smile and Jacana suddenly realised that all of the potential greetings she had been running through in her head had quickly gone out of the window.

The human paused for a moment, her smile softening a little as she seemed to want to say something; instead her eyes lingered on Jacana's throat where a ragged scar now cut across her neck. The bullet wound inflicted by the mercs had been tended to by a doctor who worked for the Broker, but the original patch job had been so haphazard and left for so long that she was told the scar was permanent, unless the Broker was willing to pay for expensive surgery of course.

It didn't bother her overly, in her line of work a few scars were part of the image, she had even known of agents deliberately injuring themselves just to look the part.

Khalisah seemed more distracted by it however, her face falling slightly before she looked up again to meet Jacana's eye.

"How have you been?"

"Busy," Jacana replied, "it's probably best I don't go into details. You?"

"More or less the same. It turns out splitting up a fortune takes a lot of organisation."

"Yes, I understand the Alliance is particularly curious to find out who their mysterious benefactor is."

"Well they can keep wondering, I have a reputation to uphold. Actually, I was thinking of running a story about them to throw them off the scent, something… slanderous."

Jacana smiled and shook her head, "You're still going to be a reporter then?"

"Of course. I'd have to give up my catchphrase otherwise. I'm staying as far away from Bekenstein as I can considering I own half of it now. I have other people running it all for me, people I trust."

"You have people you trust now?"

She smiled softly, "A few. Believe it or not Robin actually wanted to go back and help, despite what those mercs put him through. Can you… tell me what happened to Quet?"

"The Broker let him go," she paused and frowned a little, "he's working for C-Sec now," Khalisah shot her a look and Jacana nodded, "I know, sounds crazy doesn't it?"

"When you say the Broker 'let him go'…"

"He gets called in for a few favours now and then," she admitted, "I suppose you never really stop working for the Shadow Broker. Actually it's probably best if you… forget most of what you know about him, I don't _think_ he considers you much of a security risk but…"

"Don't worry about me," Khalisah smiled, "I inherited a few agents of my own through Donovan, I'm watching my back."

"Good," Jacana muttered, "good."

A strange silence fell between them and she noticed Khalisah was gazing across at the same quarians she had been; they seemed to be arguing with a docking official who was trying to refuse them entry and the sight made Khalisah frown, her eyes dancing with a strange kind of sadness. The small talk seemed to have petered out between them and Jacana still didn't know why Khalisah had asked her here.

"So," she said eventually, "you're going back to Earth?"

"To see Daniyah, yes," she continued to watch the quarians a moment more and then finally turned to look at her, "I'm not taking her out of school, she's settled there, but I can visit her now. After all this time she's probably forgotten that I'm actually real," she frowned, suddenly looking down at her hands as her face contorted with conflicting emotions.

Jacana paused for a moment, "It'll be fine. She'll just be happy to see you."

"Yeah," she agreed with a half-convinced smile, "right up until I have to explain that her father's dead and I killed her grandfather. Not looking forward to that bit."

"You might want to leave some of the details out for now," Jacana smiled in a way she hoped was reassuring, "So why did you ask me here? To say goodbye?"

"I… suppose so, partly," she didn't elaborate straight away as she began fidgeting absently, "how are the emotional outbursts?"

"What? Oh," when she realised what Khalisah was talking about she suddenly cleared her throat and looked away.

Most of what had gone on in that room with Khalisah's father had verged on humiliating, but she honestly didn't know which was worse, that she had allowed herself to become consumed by Khalisah's emotions or that she had been so utterly inept at controlling them.

Looking at Khalisah now, it was hard to imagine the violent turmoil that Jacana knew was raging beneath the surface – the self-doubt, the conflicting opinions, the utter, irrational, muddle of emotion that Jacana had barely been able to keep up with.

Most asari saw humans as irrational and impulsive, but if they all had to live with such confusion inside their own minds then she was amazed they managed to stay as composed as they did.

Luckily, the memory of Khalisah's emotions had faded with the last remnants of the meld and there had been no further incidents.

"I'm fine, it was just a one-off, probably brought on by the whole, being shot and kidnapped thing."

"Right, good," Khalisah nodded, then took a deep breath as though steeling herself for something, "I've been having dreams."

"Dreams? What about?"

"Rannoch, I think. As you remember it anyway – your mother, the geth… the war."

She threw Jacana a sheepish glance, as though she thought she was in the wrong somehow, and Jacana felt her eyes widen.

"Shit. Really?"

The effects of a meld were always unpredictable and such things were certainly not unheard of, but they usually required a much deeper meld, "Your father was right, you really must have had quite the effect on me. I'm so sorry Khalisah, if I had had any idea this would-"

"It's okay," Khalisah cut her off calmly, "they're not bad dreams, really, I know they should be but they're not, and I think they're mostly gone now. But I saw it all, felt it all and I… just thought you should know. It's stupid really," she laughed suddenly, "I feel like I've read your diary behind your back. I don't know why that should bother me, I'm used to invading people's privacy, I usually stick it on the front page but…" she trailed off, apparently running out of words and Jacana saw she was once again looking at the young quarians on pilgrimage, who were now being led away by a team of C-Sec officers, "they're beautiful aren't they," she mumbled softly, "behind those masks."

"Yes," Jacana agreed quietly, "they are."

"Strange isn't it?" she smiled suddenly, "There isn't a quarian alive who remembers life on Rannoch, but you do. I suppose in a way it's more your home world than it is theirs and you have to mourn it alone. That must be so-" she cut herself off abruptly before turning with a quizzical gaze as she picked the right word, "lonely."

"I-" Jacana opened her mouth but found no response came to her. Could she deny it? When Khalisah had seen it all for herself? And if not then did she really need to elaborate on it? In the end she decided to stay silent.

They seemed to stand like that for a long while, watching the comings and goings of the docking port until Khalisah's omni-tool beeped and she looked down at the interface.

"My ship's leaving soon, I should probably go."

Jacana nodded, trying to ignore the lurch in her stomach, "Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"A while, I've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Right," they faced each other awkwardly and Jacana found herself not knowing what to say. For an asari she had always been dismally bad at goodbyes, possibly because she had rarely had anyone close enough to her to warrant one.

"It… was fun working with you," she settled on, "you know, when we weren't being shot at and kidnapped and..." she decided to stop before she dug herself in any deeper and instead held out a hand, "goodbye Khalisah."

The human eyed the hand curiously for a moment before raising her gaze to frown at Jacana, just when she was beginning to wonder if she had said something wrong, Khalisah took a step forward. Bypassing the handshake completely, she instead pulled Jacana into a kiss. It was so unexpected that Jacana momentarily stumbled back against the railing, reaching for the solid metal with one hand while the other blindly grasped Khalisah's waist, more for the support than anything.

Just as her mind was beginning to register what was actually happening, Khalisah pulled away, smiling at the look of bewilderment she had managed to elicit.

"Careful, Miss Aragem," she muttered as she brushed her thumb along Jacana's lower lip, where the human's lipstick was likely smudged, "you're blushing."

With that she stepped back, she seemed to consider saying something more but instead merely smiled and then turned, heading off across the docking port.

"I-" Jacana stammered, feeling both compelled to speak and utterly lost for words. She only just managed to come up with something before Khalisah moved too far away to hear her, "I'll see you when you get back then?" she called.

The human turned briefly in mid-stride and flashed her a devilish smile.

"Maybe! Goodbye Jacana!"

"Bye," she agreed quietly.

She watched the human go, the black coils of her hair bouncing gently with the motion of her stride and she couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

"Well, Jacana," she muttered casually to herself, "that was smoothly done."

– **The End –**

* * *

 _Thank you to everyone who stuck with this to the end! This was a collection of several daft little ideas I had and decided to string them together into something resembling a storyline. I'm one of those people who sees a supposedly horrible character and instantly assumes that they're just misunderstood, so I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Khalisah. I also grew quite fond of Jacana while I was writing this, in fact I'll probably end up using her again! :)_

 _For now though, thanks again to everyone for reading, I hope you enjoyed._


End file.
